


Love Notes in Sheet Music

by idiotwerewolf



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Modern AU, trans!Ling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:48:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 35,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26655409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idiotwerewolf/pseuds/idiotwerewolf
Summary: For the most part, things have been looking up for Greed; he's got a successful career and has some of the best friends he could ask for. The only problem is that he's hopelessly pining after Ling, and his only relief comes from his job as a songwriter. Penning some of the most famous love songs is the only way to confess his feelings for his best friend- anonymously because he's a coward.Updates once a month!
Relationships: Greed/Ling Yao
Comments: 22
Kudos: 44





	1. in love with my best friend

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Love Notes in Sheet Music (Old)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21930400) by [idiotwerewolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/idiotwerewolf/pseuds/idiotwerewolf). 



> Love Notes is back! New and improved (hopefully)! I hope you all enjoy the changes I've made, and please keep in mind that while the comments are on, they're moderated; that being said, I still encourage y'all to comment!
> 
> I'm excited to hear what you think! Happy reading!
> 
> -idiotwerewolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking next to Ling leaves Greed flustered yet inspired for the first time in a long time, but two bits of unexpected news threatens to end the good day.

Greed woke up with a groan. The sound of his alarm was disrupting the quiet of his bedroom. He fumbled around in the dark until his hand landed on his phone. He let out a sigh of relief as the alarm stopped; he sat up and bed and looked to his left.

_ ‘Oh yeah,’ _ he thought to himself,  _ ‘Ling stayed the night.’ _ Greed felt a smile creep across his face as he looked at Ling in bed next to him, wearing one of his sweaters; it was far too big on him, but it made Greed smile even more. Greed tried to get out of bed as quietly as possible, but he made one misstep, and the floor let out a sharp creak.

"Where are you going?" Ling asked him, still half asleep, Greed let out a sigh but didn't turn around to look at him. Greed knew he would want to crawl back into bed with Ling if he looked at him for even one second.

"Have to go to work. Go back to sleep; you can stay 'til I get home if you want. It doesn't matter either way." Greed said quietly. Ling flopped back against the mattress, and another smile crossed his lips.

_ ‘I don't know why I told him it didn't matter. All I want is to come home to him. I’m an idiot.’ _ Greed thought to himself as he started getting ready for work. He looked at the clock on his dresser and started to rush; he wasn't going to end his four-year streak of arriving to work obnoxiously early. 

Greed struggled to pull his shoes on and rushed to the door. He stopped and took one last look at Ling, who was already asleep- again. Greed swallowed hard and opened the door. All of Greed's unsaid words threatened to spill from his mouth; if he had stayed in the room any longer, they would have.

Greed got to his bus stop just in time. It was empty, as usual. People rarely got on the bus this early in the morning, but Greed liked the quiet. It gave him time to focus before he got to work. A few minutes later, the bus stopped in front of Greed's office.

He thanked the driver as he hopped off the bus and rushed into the building. Greed worked hard to keep his work life and his regular life separate. His colleagues knew nothing about his personal life, and his friends knew nothing about his work. That’s the way he wanted it; he had a reputation to maintain, after all. 

He sat at his desk, turned on his computer, and opened his company's employee page. He browsed through the requests and couldn't find anything he was interested in writing. Though it was no fault of the computers, he'd been in a creative rut the last few weeks. The return of the cooler weather always drove him into an uninspired state. 

"No one told you they updated the system? We can filter by genre-  _ finally _ ." A voice said from behind him. Greed looked over his shoulder at one of his coworkers. 

"Nope. Thanks, Charlie. Checking it out now."

Charlie walked away without another word; out of all his coworkers, Greed liked him the best. They barely spoke, but when they did, it was only a few words. Greed returned his focus to the computer screen and clicked on the filter button. Several options popped up on the screen.

"Let's see... rock, pop, country, and love songs. Not much of a selection... I'd rather die than write country music, all the good rock songs have already been written..." Greed muttered under his breath; his attention was pulled away when his phone vibrated across his desk.

He flicked his eyes down to the screen; it was a text from Ling. Greed felt his face grow red, and a smile pushed at his lips. He took a deep breath and looked back at his screen. 

It seemed like he found his inspiration, but Greed's nerves got the best of him, and he hesitated before clicking his choice. The screen began to reload; at the top, it read, "now filtering love songs."

There were a few requests on the screen; Greed scrolled through until one, in particular, caught his eye. It was a musician that Ling absolutely adored. Greed clicked the request and waited for the screen to load, only to get distracted by his phone buzzing again. 

**Ling- 6:45:** Lan Fan's trying to set me up with some dude- do you think I should go? He might be a serial killer lol.

**Ling- 7:30:** Hello? Greed??? Was the serial killer thing not funny or????

**Greed- 7:30:** up to you. no way of knowing he's a serial killer until its too late though.

Greed stood up from his desk faster than he thought he ever could and rushed to the bathroom. He turned the cold water on as high as possible and put his head under the faucet. When he finally pulled his head back out, he gripped the sink's sides as tight as he could and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

"Get it together, damn it," he growled under his breath. "Act like a man and get back to work. You have no right to feel jealous! You aren't even man enough to tell him how you feel!" Greed took a deep breath and shut the faucet off; he took one last look at himself in the mirror before drying off his face and walking back to his desk.

Greed glanced longingly at his phone, fighting the urges to tell Ling everything he felt, how he longed to be able to call Ling his, how he wanted every second of the rest of their lives to be spent together, but he didn't- he  _ couldn't _ . Jealous and frustrated, Greed tossed his phone into his bag and turned the computer back on. 

_ ‘Okay, love songs, you can do this,’ _ he thought to himself as he stared at the blank document in front of him.

Greed's urges got the best of him, and he fumbled through his bag until he pulled out his phone. He unlocked it with a shaky hand, and three more messages from Ling popped onto his screen.

**Ling- 7:35:** That's fair... I might pass, but Lan Fan says we'd be cute together ┐(‘～`;)┌

**Ling- 7:43:** Hey, is your house haunted? I think it's haunted… SOS

**Ling- 7:45:** Nvm….. it was a cat outside the window (=^･ｪ･^=)

Greed let out a slight chuckle and put his phone back in his bag. Ling's dumbassery was just enough of a distraction from his emotions to focus on his work. He tapped his fingers on the spacebar for a moment before an idea crossed his mind. 

First, he needed a title, he thought for a moment before sheepishly typing "You and I" into the text box. He glanced around anxiously before he started typing the lyrics. He would definitely die of embarrassment if  _ any  _ of his coworkers saw him writing love songs.

" _ Don't you worry, there my honey _

_ We might not have any money _

_ But we've got our love to pay the bills _

_ Maybe I think you're cute and funny, _

_ Maybe I wanna do what bunnies do with you, _

_ If you know what I mean. _ "

Greed was on a roll with lyrics and was almost done with the song. He quickly looked up from his screen and realized that the rest of his coworkers had arrived for the day. 

_ ‘God, how long have I been working for?’ _ Greed thought to himself. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been at work this late in the day. 

He was almost finished with the song when he got pulled into a meeting. Greed took the empty seat next to Charlie and completely tuned out the conference; he was focused on the lyrics he was working on.

The meeting had nothing to do with him either, but since he and Charlie were the top writers, they were required to go to those meetings to see if there was anyone they thought had potential.

Over the last year or so, Charlie found a few people he thought were solid enough to join his writing team; Greed didn't. None of them were up to his standards, and he was stubborn as hell. Once the meeting was done, Greed went back to his desk and finished the last few lines.

_ "Oh, let's get rich and buy our parents _

_ Homes in the South of France _

_ Let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters _

_ And teach them how to dance _

_ Let's get rich and build our house on a mountain _

_ Making everybody look like ants _

_ From way up there, you and I, you and I."  _

Greed read over the lyrics one more time before hitting the upload button. Once he got the confirmation, he shut down his computer and walked over to his boss's office. Greed knocked on the door frame and waited for his boss to acknowledge his presence.

"I'm heading out, boss, got my work completed and uploaded. See you tomorrow," he said after his boss looked up at him from his computer, grunting an acknowledgment in Greed's general direction before going back to his desktop. Greed had worked his ass off to gain that kind of freedom. He hated being tied to his desk from nine to five. As Greed exited the building, he pulled his phone from his bag and opened his messages.

**Greed- 12:30:** just finished up at work. still at my place?

**Ling- 12:35:** Yep! Do you want me to order some lunch?

**Greed- 12:35:** getting on the bus now. we can talk about it when i get back.

Greed closed his phone and hopped on the bus that was now full of people. He had no choice but to stand, but he didn't mind. 

The bus windows had been broken for quite some time; during the colder months, the bus was always freezing, but Greed was relieved. His blushed cheeks wouldn't look unnatural. He was overly happy that Ling would be there when he got home from work. All he wanted to do was crawl back into his bed and hold Ling as close as he possibly could, you know- the way friends do. 

The rest of his bus ride went by in a flash, the whole ride Greed was stuck in a blissful daydream, the lyrics of the song he wrote played in his head. Greed thanked the driver as he hopped off the bus and began walking down the street. The walk home took him less time than usual; he was excited to get home and see Ling.

"Hey! I'm back!" he announced as he closed the door behind him. From the front door, Greed could hear music playing in his room, and as he got closer, he realized how loud it actually was. Ling didn’t hear him over the music.

He grabbed the doorknob, turned it as slow as possible, and waited for the perfect moment- for the song to reach its loudest part- before he swung the door open as hard as he could and rushed towards Ling, pushing both of them onto his bed.

Ling let out a yelp as he crashed into the mattress, but when he realized it was Greed, he let out a joyful laugh. Greed felt his heart flutter in his chest at the sound- God, how he loved that. When Greed moved, Ling hopped to his feet, paused the music, and grinned at Greed. 

"Guess what?" Ling asked, clutching his hands to his chest in excitement. Greed smiled back; he couldn't help but be excited that Ling was excited.

"What's up?" 

"I'm so excited! You know that artist I like, Ingrid Michaelson? She's releasing a new single soon! I can't wait to listen to it!" 

Greed smiled at Ling even though his heart felt like it was ready to explode in his chest. He didn't think the song would be announced so soon. He'd never had a song announced that fast... he'd never even heard of anyone's music getting released that fast in his whole career. 

"When is she releasing it?" Greed asked as he tried his best to mask the rising anxiety, he had never been so nervous about one of his songs being released before, but this song was different... This song was for Ling. Even if it was a hit worldwide, he would consider it a failure if Ling didn't like it.

"Greed? Are you listening?" Ling asked as he sat down on the bed next to him. 

"I'm sorry, I have a lot on my mind; what were you saying?" Greed said, meeting Ling's eyes as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I said that her song is coming out at the end of the month."

Greed nodded his head and looked at his lap, fidgeting with his hands; for some reason, he couldn't keep his eyes on Ling. He usually had the opposite problem.

"Are you okay?" Ling questioned, tilting his head to the side; his bangs fell over his face and obscured the concerned look in his eyes. 

Greed felt a pang of guilt when the words left Ling's mouth; the amount of worry and sincerity his words carried still sounded foreign to Greed's ears, and he couldn't help but feel like he had done something wrong.

"Yeah, I'm okay, it was just a long day at work." Greed sighed. A slight frown crossed Ling's mouth before he nodded his head and scooched closer to Greed, looking at him with concern while absently worrying his bottom lip.

"What?" Greed questioned as he shot Ling a sideways glance. He smiled at Greed as he stood and gently moved Greed's arms from his lap and then sat in it. Greed froze as Ling wrapped his arms around Greed and rested his head on Greed's shoulder.

"What- what're you doing?" Greed asked. He couldn't get himself to move. His arms felt like lead, and his heart was thumping erratically in his chest.

"I'm hugging you?" Ling said, the confusion was evident in his voice, "Have you never been hugged before?" Greed slowly shook his head, which only made Ling hug him tighter. Greed had never been a hugger... he didn't really know hugs were an option until Maes adopted him, and even after all these years, they still freaked him out. This hug didn't freak him out as much, though. Greed swallowed hard. He knew his face was beet red, without a doubt.

"Ling? I-" he stopped himself, the words almost slipped right out.  _ I love you _ . Maybe he should have let them out, told Ling the truth, and hoped for the best, but he couldn't. He was getting in his own way- he wasn't sure where the sudden burst of courage came from, but he let his anxiety win as soon as those two words left his mouth. Greed cleared his throat and looked at the clock on his dresser. "I'm hungry, let's order some lunch."

Ling nodded and grabbed his phone from the dresser. He took a moment to swipe away a few notifications before sitting back down on the bed.

"Where do you want to order from?" 

"Wherever you want, it doesn't matter to me." Greed said as he peeked over Ling's shoulder to see his phone screen.

"How about pizza then? Lan-Fan and I just had Chinese the other night. I wanted pizza, but she said it "wasn't healthy" like Chinese food is any better for me." Ling said as he rolled his eyes.

"Pizza sounds good- let me pay this time." 

"No, I got it, it's one of the perks for being friends with someone who has rich parents," he replied. Ling pressed the confirm order button before Greed could protest, not like he could have anyway. Ling could be so stubborn sometimes. 

Hearing Ling say they were friends twisted Greed up inside. He wanted more than that, no- he  _ needed  _ more than that; but deep down, Greed knew that being more than friends was off the table. That's what he told himself, at least.

Greed returned his attention to Ling and watched as he stretched his arms towards the ceiling and then behind his back.

"Ling." 

"Uh-huh?" 

"When was the last time you took your binder off?" Greed questioned, silently hoping that Ling would have a reasonable response. Ling didn't answer him- or even look up from his phone. His silence was the only answer Greed needed.

"Take it off. You're going to hurt yourself." Greed said, the words coming out of his mouth fast and harsh. He regretted the tone of his words, but he didn't want Ling to get hurt. If Ling  _ did  _ get hurt, he'd be in a lot of trouble with Lan-Fan... and that wasn't something he wanted. 

"While you're doing that, I'm gonna go outside and have a smoke." Greed said quietly, Ling scrunched up his nose at the mention of cigarettes but nodded his head. Greed walked out of the house and sat on the front steps. 

Greed lit his cigarette, took a long pull, and pulled out his phone. He opened his message with Maes- or Pops in his contacts. The last message was a picture of Elicia holding an apple pie and smiling the biggest smile a kid possibly could. 

**Greed- 2:18:** hey pops. hope Elicia saved some apple pie for me.

**Pops- 2:18:** Hey! :) It was so yummy I just HAD to eat it all! But don't worry, she can make you another! My little girl is the best baker in the whole world! 

**Pops- 2:18:** Just don't tell Gracia I said that!!!

**Greed- 2:19:** you got it.

**Pops- 2:21:** So what are you up too? Staying out of trouble, I hope!

**Greed- 2:22:** went to work. now I'm home hanging out with the pissant.

**Pops- 2:25:** Oh, you mean Ling, right? How is he? Tell him I said hi! :)))))

**Greed- 2:30:** will do.

**Pops- 2:35:** So when are you going to tell him??!?!?!

**Greed- 2:35:** tell him what?

**Pops- 2:35:** That you love~~ him! You have to tell him eventually!

**Greed- 2:40:** foods here. talk to you later.

**Pops- 2:40:** I know you're avoiding talking to me about this! You can't run from your feelings forever!

Greed shoved his phone in his pocket and finished his cigarette. For a while, Greed listened to the sounds coming from his neighborhood, letting his eyes drift shut. If he focused hard enough, he could hear the squeaks of the swings at the park a few lots over and the hum of the highway in the distance. When he first moved into the house a few years ago, he hated all the sound- it was nothing like what he was used to in Maes and Gracia's neighborhood. But now it wouldn't be home without the noise. 

Greed opened his eyes and sighed. He knew Pops was right; he couldn't run from his feelings forever. How could he tell Ling how he felt when he couldn't make any sense of it himself? He knew what he was feeling, but he didn't know why or when the feelings started, all he knew was that they were there. 

Shaking the thoughts from his head, he looked up at the sky, taking in the clouds as they drifted by, momentarily blocking out the afternoon sun. The fresh air was nice, and the light breeze was just enough to ruffle his hair and hopefully remove some of the smoke smell from him and his clothes. Whenever Ling was with him, Greed always stayed outside for a while after he was done smoking so he wouldn’t smell as bad. Even though Ling never complained about it, Greed knew it bothered him.

Greed turned when he heard the door open, trying to smile as Ling stepped out onto the porch and down at him.

"The pizza is going to be here soon," he said as he fidgeted with the sleeves of his sweater- well, Greed's sweater. Greed nodded his head and turned his attention to the street. 

"Is everything okay? You seem annoyed, I can feel it." 

"I made the mistake of texting pops; he says hi, by the way." Greed explained, flicking his eyes to Ling as he moved to sit at Greed's side.

"So, you're going to steal my favorite sweater  _ and  _ my favorite sweatpants?" Greed asked, letting an amused chuckle escape his lips as he watched Lings face turn red.

"They're cozy, I'll give them back to you before I go home-" Ling said before Greed shook his head and shushed him.

"You keep them; they look better on you anyway." 

Before either of them could say anything else, a car pulled up in front of the house, and a man walked up with a pizza box.

"Uh, pizza for Ling?" the man said as he met Greed's eyes. Greed could feel Ling shrinking beside him, embarrassed and uncomfortable. He couldn't relate to what Ling was feeling, but he knew he never wanted Ling to feel that way. Greed cleared his throat and gave a small smile to the pizza man.

"Yeah, he's right here," Greed announced as he motioned to Ling, who perked up a bit, his shoulders briefly brushing against Greed's as he reached out to take the pizza. 

Greed motioned to the front door and followed Ling inside. Ling set the pizza down on the coffee table, opened the box, grabbed a slice of pizza, and plopped on the couch next to Greed.

"Are you going to eat?" 

"Yeah, in a minute, do you want anything to drink?" Greed asked as he got off the couch. Ling shook his head and fidgeted a little as he tried to get comfortable. 

Greed pulled out his phone, leaned against the counter, and took a deep breath before texting Maes.

**Greed- 3:15:** how do i tell him?

**Pops- 3:15:** So you decided to listen to your old man after all! :)

**Greed- 3:15:** i'm serious. i need some help here.

**Pops- 3:16:** Okay, okay... Sit down and tell him how you feel, be open and honest with him. Tell him how he makes you feel and don't leave out a single detail. Make sure he knows how important he is to you! How he makes you feel when he walks in the room, the way his voice lights up your heart, and how his touch fills you with hope for a better tomorrow!

**Greed- 3:17:** that's very specific.

**Pops- 3:17:** Hey! How do you think I got such a beautiful wife?!?!?

**Greed- 3:18:** …i'm gonna try to talk to him. thanks pops.

Greed put his phone back in his pocket and opened the fridge; all he had was beer, that was good enough. He was going to need all the courage he could get. Greed was almost out of the kitchen when his phone vibrated again. He put his beer down on the counter and opened his phone. He couldn't help but smile at the message.

It was a picture of Elicia, Pops, and Gracia, all giving him a thumbs up. Greed put his phone on the counter, picked up his beer, and walked back into the living room. He sat on the couch next to Ling and grabbed a slice of pizza.

"I thought you got lost in there!" 

"I didn't get lost, ya pissant, I was looking for something else to drink, but all I have is beer, I have to go groceries." Greed said as he rolled his eyes and opened his beer. Ling nodded and shifted in his seat again; he was sitting a little closer to Greed now. Anyone else might not have noticed, but Greed did.

"Hey, Ling?" Greed asked quickly, hoping that he wouldn't hear the words leave his mouth, but Ling heard him.

"Yeah?" 

"I wanted to talk to you about something." Greed said hesitantly. Before he could say anything else, someone was pounding at the door. With a sigh, Greed got up and answered the door. It was barely open a crack before Lan-Fan shoved it open the rest of the way and entered the house.

"Oh, come in!" Greed muttered sarcastically as he followed after her.

"Ling, where have you been?! I've been messaging and calling you nonstop for the whole day!" 

"Oh, hey, Lan-Fan!" Ling said in an all too cheery tone that he and Greed both knew she hated. "My phone must have been on silent, sorry!" Ling added after she sent him an icy glare.

"Come on, we're going home. We have a class to teach tonight for Fu, or did you forget?" Lan-Fan asked, her words were heavy with accusation. Ling let out a sigh and stood up.

"Let me get my stuff," he grumbled before disappearing down the hall. Seconds later, Ling returned, and Lan-Fan grabbed him by the arm and walked him out of the house, slamming the door behind them.

Greed walked into the kitchen, grabbed the remaining bottles of beer and his phone before returning to the living room and turning on the TV. After a minute, he found something that seemed like a good enough distraction, finished his beer, and opened another.

Greed was jerked awake by his phone, violently vibrating against his chest, fumbling with it for a moment before he answered. 

"Hello?"

"Hey, Greed! How'd it go? Tell me everything! Wait, let me put you on speaker so Gracia can hear too!" Maes said on the other end. Greed pulled the phone away from his ear. He had forgotten how loud Maes talks over the phone. 

"You don't need to put me on speaker, nothing happened." Greed told him, reluctantly putting the phone back to his ear.

"What do you mean nothing happened?! You didn't talk to him? Why not?!" Maes demanded. Greed sat up, grabbed the half-empty beer bottle in front of him, and took a sip.

"Are you drinking?" Maes asked, his voice was now firm, and any lighthearted energy had disappeared.

_ "Uh, yeah, pops, _ I'm drinking." Greed replied sarcastically, he heard Maes sigh on the other line.

"What happened, Greed?" 

"I was ready to tell him everything, just like you said," Greed explained before pausing to take another sip, "and right before I could say anything, Lan-Fan came and whisked him away."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for what felt like an eternity before Maes responded.

"I see... well, all that means is that you get another chance to try again, and you can be even more prepared!" Maes said, quickly returning to his cheerful tone.

"Yeah, sure, pops." Greed replied dejectedly as he tossed his now empty bottle onto the couch next to him.

"Greed," Maes said into the phone, "don't do anything stupid, and remember you can always come home whenever you want, we all love you." Greed swallowed hard as Maes's words reached his ears.

"Thanks pops, bye," he said quickly before hanging up. Greed put his phone down on the couch and felt tears rolling down his face; he wiped them away with a shaky hand.

"Why am I crying?" he said into the quietness of the empty house. Greed didn't know if he was crying because he was drunk, or because he was stressed, or because he desperately needed a reminder that he was capable of being loved. Deep down, Greed knew it was all three, but he couldn't admit it to himself.

When Greed managed to regain his composure, he checked the time and was relieved that he had only slept for a few hours. He had plenty of time to sober up and get an actual night's rest before going to work the next morning. 

Greed pulled himself off the couch and shuffled down the hallway into his bathroom; he turned on the cold water and forced himself into the shower. 

Once he was done, he rushed across the hall into his room to get his pajamas on. He searched through his drawers in a fruitless effort to find his favorite pajama pants before realizing that he had let Ling take them home. He pulled on the only other pair of pajama pants he had and flopped onto his bed. Greed's phone buzzed, and he shot his head up to look at the notification, desperately hoping it would be from Ling- it wasn't. Greed sighed and opened the email and read it carefully. 

_ "Office is closed tomorrow for maintenance, you are all required to complete your work from home, see you Monday. - Mr. Edison" _

Greed let out a sigh of relief; at least now he didn't have to worry about oversleeping. Greed closed the email, opened his texts, and stared at the screen for a long moment before clicking on his and Ling's messages. All of the things he wanted to say to Ling rushed around his head, but he couldn't type a word of it... Ling would probably end up going on that date with Russell, and Greed couldn't bring himself to put Ling in a situation like that. He stared hopelessly at his screen and tried to think of something to say. All he wanted was to talk to Ling.

**Greed- 8:45:** i spent 5 minutes looking for my pajama pants before i realized I told you to keep them.

**Ling- 8:45:** I hope you found pj's to wear!!! (^～^;)ゞ

**Greed- 8:50:** yeah i did. thankfully i have 2 pairs.

**Ling- 8:50:** Hey, sorry about Lan-Fan earlier... You know how she gets sometimes.

**Greed- 8:50:** i just don't get why she doesn't like me.

**Ling- 8:55:** She says you're a "bad influence" but what does she know?

**Greed- 9:00:** oh.

**Ling- 9:00:** But I don't think you are. 

**Ling- 9:02:** Maes just called me.

**Greed- 9:02:** what? why? what did he say?

**Ling- 9:05:** He said you were drunk, and he's worried about you but wouldn't say anything else.

**Greed- 9:05:** bastard.

**Ling- 9:06:** Don't you have work in the morning? You never get drunk during the week, what's going on?

**Greed- 9:10:** office is closed tomorrow. i'm fine. gonna go to sleep now.

Greed locked his phone and tossed it across the mattress, bitterly cursing at himself for shutting Ling out like that; he didn't deserve it at all. Greed rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He knew he couldn't be mad at Maes; he was just looking out for him, but at the same time, Greed felt ashamed for showing weakness.

"I can't just sit here and mope all night." Greed grumbled to himself before rolling out of bed and shuffling to the living room. Greed pulled his computer out of the drawer in the coffee table and opened up his employee page. 

‘ _ Might as well get tomorrow's work out of the way. _ ’ he thought to himself as he scrolled through the requests. Greed stopped at the end of the first page and sheepishly hit the filter button and clicked on the love songs again, feeling embarrassed despite being home alone. He might have lost his chance to confess to Ling in person, but he couldn't lose the ability to do it through music.

He stared at the title box for a moment, typed something out, and then deleted it, repeating this process a few times before he gave up and left the title "Better Together." 

Greed went to reach for his phone in procrastination, but he had left it on his bed. He let out an irritated sound before taking a deep breath and returning his gaze to the computer screen. Greed thought for a moment before the lyrics started coming to him, a bittersweet smile crossed his lips as he typed them out.

" _ There's no combination of words I could put on the back of a postcard _

_ No song that I could sing, but I can try for your heart _

_ Our dreams, and they are made out of real things _

_ Like a shoebox of photographs _

_ With sepia-toned loving _

_ Love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart" _

" _ You look so pretty sleeping next to me _

_ But there is not enough time _

_ And there is no, no song I could sing _

_ And there is no combination of words I could say _

_ But I will still tell you one thing _

_ We're better together. _ "

Greed cracked his fingers before hitting the submit button and gently closed his computer, putting it on the couch next to him. He leaned his head back on the sofa, closed his eyes, and hummed the words to himself until he fell asleep.

  
  
  
  
  



	2. i'm inclined to stoop down (hand out some beat downs)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greed takes Winry and Ed to his favorite bar in an attempt to clear his head and spend time with his friends. Things, of course, go wrong.

The next afternoon, Greed was woken by a knock on the door. He pulled himself off the couch and rubbed his face as he went to answer. He opened it, surprised to see Ling holding coffee cups in both hands.

"What are you doing here?" Greed asked as he let out a yawn. Ling smiled and handed him one of the cups.

"Well, I figured you'd want some coffee, and you said yesterday that you needed to go shopping," Ling told him, taking a sip from his own cup.

"Oh, thanks... I should go now," Greed said as he started to look for his shoes.

"Don't think you should get dressed before we go to the store?" Ling questioned with a smirk. Greed nodded his head, stepped aside to let Ling in the house, and closed the door behind him. He set his coffee down on the kitchen table and walked to his bedroom. He pulled his last pair of pants out of his drawer and made a mental note to do laundry. As he pulled them on, Greed's foot got caught in the rip in the knee and was on the floor before he could steady himself. Ling had the door open before Greed could stand up.

"Are you okay?" Ling asked as he looked down at Greed, a small smile curling at his lips.

"I'm fine." Greed muttered as he sat up and put his foot in his pant leg the right way.

"Let me get a shirt on, and we can go," Greed said as he got to his feet. Ling nodded and leaned against the door frame. Greed pulled out his favorite white t-shirt and pulled it over his head before he grabbed his wallet off his dresser and his phone off his bed.

"Ready?" Greed asked Ling as he put his stuff in his pocket.

"One second," Ling said as he closed the gap between them. Greed's breath hitched as Ling reached up and fixed Greed's hair.

"Your hair was all messy from your shirt," Ling said with a slight smile. Greed cleared his throat with a nod, motioning to the door and looking away with a light blush. He followed Ling down the hall, grabbing his keys off the table by the front door and leather jacket off the coat hook.

"Wanna give me directions to the store?" Ling asked as they walked out of the house.

"No way, rich boy," Greed chuckled, "we're taking the bus." 

"Do we have to?" Ling asked, looking up at Greed with a pitiful look.

"Yes, it's a perk of being friends with someone poor," Greed teased. Ling rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. 

"Okay, fine," Ling grumbled, slumping his shoulders in defeat. 

"Good! Let's go!" Greed exclaimed as he clapped his hands together and began walking down the street to the bus stop.

"You're walking too fast! Slow down!" Ling yelled as he sped up in a failed attempt to catch up to Greed.

"I'm not walking fast; you're just short!" Greed shouted as he turned his head quickly to look back at Ling.

"I am not!" Ling retorted as he upped his pace and finally caught up with Greed. Ling glared up and Greed and nudged him with his shoulder.

"What's the matter, pissant?" Greed said smugly. Ling grumbled something under his breath and crossed his arms. Rolling his eyes, Greed pulled out his wallet and took a small stack of bills out. He could feel Ling's eyes on him as he counted out the bus fare for the two of them.

Greed and Ling stood in silence as they waited for the bus. A hard wind blew past them and agitated the leaves that were resting at their feet. Greed glanced down at Ling and raised an eyebrow when he saw him shiver.

"You didn't bring a jacket?" Greed asked as he turned to look at Ling- who shook his head.

"Here," Greed said as he removed his leather jacket, "wear mine, but I want it back." Ling had a bad habit of borrowing Greed's clothes and never returning them. Usually, Greed didn't mind, but he really liked that jacket. 

"Thank you," Ling said as he slipped on the jacket and stuck his hands in the pockets. Greed's heart skipped a beat when he was Ling in his jacket; he looked so cute. 

Greed closed the gap between them and zipped up the jacket, their eyes met, and Greed felt frozen in place. He couldn't- no- he didn't want to look away. The sound of the bus approaching tore Greed's attention elsewhere. He got a random burst of confidence and grabbed Ling's hand as the bus doors opened and pulled him on.

Greed put the money into the machine with his free hand and then pulled Ling down the aisle until he got to the back of the bus and sat in the same seat he sat in every morning. The final pair of seats on the left side before the bench seat that stretched across the end of the bus. Once Ling was seated, Greed let go of his hand and looked out the window in a lousy attempt to hide the way he was blushing.

They sat in silence and watched the city go past them until the bus slowed and came to a stop. Greed nudged Ling with his leg and waited for him to stand and then followed him off the bus, waiting for it to drive away before continuing to the store.

"The grocery store is just up the street a little, come on." Greed told him as he started walking at an intentionally slow pace. Ling followed after Greed and quickly caught up to him.

"Are you warm enough?" Greed questioned as he glanced down at Ling.

"Yes, thank you, where did you get this jacket? I want to get one. Hey! We could be twins!" Ling exclaimed with an enthusiastic smile. Greed rolled his eyes and looked down at Ling again with an eyebrow raised as if to say, 'are you serious?'

"Ling, you bought this jacket for me two years ago." He told Ling with a smirk and a hint of annoyance and affection in his voice. 

"Oh, that's right!" Ling said, stopping to laugh and shake his head, "I can't believe I forgot that!" Greed reached his hand into the jacket pocket and felt around.

"What're you doing?" Ling asked as he looked up at Greed.

Greed smirked and pulled his hand out of the pocket to reveal his pack of cigarettes and his lighter. Ling stopped walking and laughed a little before rushing to catch up to Greed.

"What did you think I was doing?" Greed asked him, tilting his head to the side.

"I don't know- that's why I asked," Ling answered, laughing again. If Greed had been paying attention, he would have noticed the dejected look on Ling's face. But he wasn't. Greed shrugged and grabbed a cigarette before tucking the pack under his rolled-up shirt sleeve. He stopped walking and lit his cigarette, taking a long pull before starting to walk to Ling, who was waiting for him a few feet ahead.

"The store is just up ahead a little more."

"Do we have to walk back and take the bus with all the groceries?" Ling asked, concentrating on his feet as he walked.

"Uh, I normally do, but we don't have to. We could always take a cab." Greed told him as he ashed his cigarette. Ling nodded his head in agreement and followed Greed across the street and into the grocery store.

"What do you need?" Ling asked as he leaned on the shopping cart he was pushing.

"Eggs, milk, bread, beer... food in general." Greed said as he anxiously looked around the grocery store. Everything was the same, but something felt catastrophically wrong to Greed... he couldn't pinpoint what it was, though. Ling nodded and pushed the cart towards the dairy section but stopped when he realized Greed wasn't following him.

"Greed, are you okay?" 

Greed looked over and Ling and nodded, taking a few quick steps over to him and pushing the cart away. Ling quickly followed Greed as he sped through the grocery store, putting everything he needed quickly into the cart. Greed wanted to get in and out as fast as he could. The sooner he could stop feeling like this, the better.

The only time Greed stopped for more than a few seconds was in front of the beer display. For some reason, he felt calmer in this part of the store. Maybe it was because the lights were dimmer, or because not many people came back here. There wasn't much to choose from, so most people went to the liquor store down the street.

"Do you want anything?" Greed asked as he set a six-pack in the cart, a sour raspberry this time. He was tired of what he usually drank.

Ling walked up the refrigerated shelves and tapped his chin, acting as if he was putting serious thought into his beer choice. After a moment, he grabbed a six-pack and put it in the cart next to Greeds.

"You pick the same stuff every time. Don't you get tired of it?" Greed questioned, cracking a small, fake smile.

"No. I hang out with you all the time, and I never get tired of you... Why would beer be any different?" Ling asked as he smirked at Greed.

"Shut up." Greed said, feigning annoyance. He shook his head and pushed the cart towards the checkout. He couldn't wait to get out of the grocery store; he felt like he was about to unravel, and he did not like it. Once they were out of the store, Greed let out a sigh of relief and pressed his back into the large cement columns outside the store. Being outside of the store was better than being inside- not by much, but enough for him to breathe a little easier. 

"Greed, are you okay?" Ling asked as he gently put his hand on Greed's arm. Greed nodded and looked down at Ling.

"Let's go," he muttered. Ling nodded in return and pulled out his phone to call a cab.

The cab arrived shortly after, slowly pulling up to Greed and Ling. The driver popped the trunk and waited while they loaded in the groceries. Greed knew that bastard was already running the meter. Typical. The whole way home, Greed could feel Ling's eyes on him. All he wanted to do was look at Ling, but he couldn't get his head to move. Greed didn't say anything until they got out of the car, and Ling tried to carry all the groceries inside.

"Let me take those," Greed told him as he took the bags, "the keys are in the left pocket."

Ling nodded, unlocked the door, and held it open so Greed could come in with the groceries. Greed set the bags on the counter and made a beeline to the bathroom.

Once the door was closed, he took a deep breath and looked down at his hands, and let a flash of anger rush over him as he watched his hands tremble. He had been to that store a million times. For the life of him, he could not figure out what was different. Why did he get so nervous? It was the same store, the same sounds and lights- nothing was different, and yet he felt like everything had been... It didn't matter anymore- he was home.

Greed cleared his throat and took one last deep breath before leaving the bathroom, focusing on putting the groceries away. By the time he made it to the kitchen, Ling already put them away and had a movie on in the living room. Greed grabbed two beers out of the fridge, one for himself and one for Ling, and sat on the couch next to him.

"Is this the Nightingale?" Greed questioned as he opened his beer and handed the other to Ling.

"It's your favorite, right?" 

"Yeah, but I thought you didn't like this movie?"

"I don't mind watching it with you," Ling answered with a shrug; he took a sip of his beer and returned his attention to the movie. Greed smiled and looked over at Ling; he made a decisive move and put his arm on the back of his couch. It was as close as he could get to touching Ling without his heart exploding.

The room fell silent except for the movie and the occasional clinking from the beer bottles as they were lifted and set down on the table. Greed usually drank and watched movies with himself, and he didn't mind it, but it was better with Ling. Most things were. 

Greed went to take another sip of his beer but frowned when he realized it was empty. He glanced over at Ling and then eyed his beer on the table. The curtains were still closed from the night before, and the room was dim, but from what Greed could see, Ling's beer was almost empty too.

"I'm gonna grab another beer. Do you want another?" Greed asked as he stood. Ling nodded and shifted his position on the couch, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs. Greed walked into the kitchen, leaned against his counter, and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

**Greed- 7:07:** pops i'm going to do it. i'm going to tell Ling.

**Pops- 7:07:** YES! YOU CAN DO IT! :)))))))) #proudofyou

**Greed- 7:07:** thanks pops.

"Okay, I can do this," Greed muttered as he rubbed his face anxiously. Every single negative outcome flooded into his brain. There were so many things that could go wrong, and only one thing that could go right... Was it worth saying anything? He contemplated keeping quiet, but he knew he couldn't hide his feelings forever. Greed let out an exasperated sigh as he put his phone in his pocket and opened the fridge. 

His heart was pounding, and it took all of the courage he had to go back into the living room. Ling turned in his seat and smiled at him when he returned. Greed sat down on the couch and handed Ling his beer before opening his own and taking a swig. Somehow, his heart began to pound even harder as the credits rolled across the screen; he downed the rest of his beer and took a deep breath.

"Ling?" Greed mumbled, anxiously tapping his thumb against his thigh.

"What's up?" Ling replied as he turned his head to meet Greeds eyes.

Greed opened his mouth to speak, but a car horn cut him off. Ling's eyes widened, and he looked utterly embarrassed. 

"Oh my god! I totally forgot!" Ling exclaimed as he jumped up from the couch. 

"Forgot about what?"

"That's Russell! We have a date tonight, and I told him to pick me up from here! I can't believe I forgot. I'm sorry, Greed."

"... It's no big deal."

"Okay... I feel bad, though; you were about to say something. What was it?"

"It wasn't anything important. Go have fun."

Ling didn't need any further prompting- he smiled at Greed and rushed out the door to Russell. The sound of the car door closing hurt Greed physically, his heart tightened, and even though he was sitting down, he could feel how heavy his limbs were. 

"God damn it!" Greed yelled, "why?! Why couldn't I tell him?! Why am I such a coward?! He's all I want, and I'm not even brave enough to do anything about it."

The more Greed rambled, the more pained his voice sounded; he barely recognized it as his voice by the time he cut himself off with a wounded noise. He needed to get out of the house- he needed to blow off steam. Greed needed to do something- anything. 

**Greed- 8:25:** come to the bar with me.

**Pipsqueak- 8:30:** ??? It's Wednesday?

**Greed- 8:30:** and?

**Pipsqueak- 8:30:** Fair point. Me and Win will be there in 10.

**Greed- 8:30:** that's still going on?

**Pipsqueak- 8:32:** We're engaged, asshole. 

**Greed- 8:32:** still not sure how you managed that. 

**Pipsqueak- 8:35:** Whatever. Just be ready.

Greed locked his phone, pulled himself off the couch, and tried to look slightly less disheveled before Ed and Winry got there. He locked up and rushed out of the house when he heard Ed's car pull up outside.

"Blondie, Pipsqueak. How's it going?" Greed asked as he got into the backseat. He could practically hear Ed's teeth clench at the nickname, but he said nothing, for as loud as Ed was, he was relatively quiet when he drove. 

"How've you been, Greed?" Winry asked, turning in her seat a little so she could look Greed in the eyes. 

"Same shit, different day. You?" Greed answered with a shrug. He wasn't going to give any more information than he needed to, and with Ed and Winry, sometimes that felt like it was too much. 

"About the same."

"About the same?! Really, Winry? Don't listen to her, Greed. She's far too modest. She's back in school for her third mechanic's cert!" Ed proudly exclaimed as he looked at Greed in the rearview mirror. 

"Edward, watch the road!" Winry yelled, "I'd like to get to the bar in one piece!"

"Alright, alright! Sorry." Ed grumbled as he returned his eyes to the road. For as bad as Greed's mood was, that made him smile a little bit. 

The rest of the ride passed without further incident, and the three of them walked into the bar and sat in the back booth that Greed had come to claim. 

As he sat in the booth, he slid the napkin dispenser over to see if his initials were scrawled into the table still. They were. Greed nodded to himself and put the dispenser back into its place before reclining in the booth. 

Greed chuckled to himself as Ed pulled Winry a little closer to him and placed a protective arm around her shoulders. No one would mess with her while she was sitting with Greed, not in this bar, anyway. He was a regular here, had been since the day it opened, and it was safe to say he had quite a reputation. 

One of the waitresses that Greed was all too familiar with came over to the table and smiled at him. She was a sweet enough girl, a little too nosy for his liking, but other than that, tolerable. She was Greed's type, short brown hair, freckles, green eyes, and the slightest hint of a southern accent… She was Greed's type until he was around thirteen, and his tastes changed. 

"Hey, Greed! Been a while since I've seen you. How've you been?"

"I'm alright, Claire. Reggie isn't giving you any more trouble, is he?" Greed asked as he scanned the bar. 

The situation she was in was awful and messy. One of the regulars- Reggie- had been harassing her almost every night, and after Greed found out, he was there nearly every night too. At first, only to comfort her, allowing her to sit next to him and vent or cry, and then one night, he caught Reggie red-handed. Greed took him outside to 'talk,' and from what he's heard, Reggie's been on his best behavior ever since. 

"Nope! I'm assuming you're getting your usual. What about you two?" she asked, turning her attention to Ed and Winry. 

"Give 'em both my usual too." Greed told Claire as he waved dismissively at them. Ed and Winry both started to protest, but Claire had already walked away.

"If you're gonna drink with me- and I mean really drink with me, you're gonna do it my way." Greed told them smugly. Winry seemed down for the unspoken challenge, but Ed looked like he was ready to complain.

"Relax, pipsqueak. I'm buying."

"Well, in that case, you better double whatever your way is."

Ed spoke far too soon and realized it as Claire started unloading drinks on the table. In front of Ed, Greed, and Winry were two bottles of beer, two shots of vodka, a (large) glass of cinnamon whiskey, and a shot of gin. 

"You... you drink all of this?"

"Yeah, Ed, I drink all of this."

"Please tell me you don't order multiple 'usual's'."

"Jesus Christ- of course, I don't!" Greed exclaimed with a laugh, knowing full well that was a lie. Some nights he went through three' usuals.' But that wasn't something he was going to tell Ed and Winry, or even think about himself. 

Ed's shoulders sagged in relief, but he still looked at all the drinks with trepidation. Greed cracked his beer open with the edge of the table and then did the same for Ed and Winry. He had a sneaking suspicion that Ed would be the first one to tap out. 

"So, what certification are you working on now?" Greed asked Winry, looking at her over his bottle.

"For diesel engines."

"No shit!" 

Winry nodded proudly and finished her beer. Greed was definitely going to go drinking with Winry more often. She could keep up and keep up well. Greed downed the rest of his and slid the bottle to the end of the table. 

Ed was taking his time with his beer, but once he realized Greed and Winry are waiting for him to finish it, he quickly chugged the rest of it. It was probably the first time Ed had ever chugged a beer in his life; a quarter of it dribbled down his chin, and as he set the bottle down on the table, he let out a loud burp. Winry looked absolutely mortified, Greed somewhat impressed, and there were a few murmured approvals from around the bar. 

Greed opened their second beers and then motioned to the dartboard hanging on the far wall. Winry nodded excitedly, and Ed tried but failed to scowl. Greed nudged Ed's shoulder and followed Winry across the bar.

The game was close and heated. Ed suggested a bet, and Greed agreed to it even though he wasn't listening. He thought the loser had to jump into the lake behind Ed's apartment, but he honestly didn't care because he wasn't planning on losing. 

"Hey, why isn't Ling here?" Ed asked as Greed threw the dart. Well, Greed lost- lost to Winry anyway. The dart hit the outer rim of the board, centimeters from the spot he needed. The question caught him off guard and revived the feelings he thought he drowned with alcohol.

"He's on a date. Take your turn." Greed grumbled. He heard Winry smack the back of Ed's head, and then a dart crash onto the floor. 

"Ah, shit. It slipped out of my hand!" Ed exclaimed as he rushed forward to snatch it right before someone stepped on it. Greed rolled his eyes, stalked back to the table, and fished out his phone. He stared at the empty notification screen for a moment and then shoved his phone back into his pocket.

'I don't know what I was expecting,' Greed thought 'he's on a date. Why would he text me?'

Greed drank the rest of his beer, took one of the multiple shots lined up in front of him, and then slid the empty glasses to the end of the table as Ed and Winry sat down. 

"Ed, you still working with Roy?" 

"Uh-huh. Bastard's gonna give me gray hairs."

"What do you even do?" 

"I've got a degree in Biochemistry, and I'm halfway through a Philosophy degree, and he's got me stuffing envelopes and running his campaign!"

Greed tried his best to hold in his laugh but failed miserably. He wasn't necessarily laughing at Ed's blatant disdain for his job- it was the way he said it. 

"I'm happy my suffering is funny to you," Ed grumbled into his beer. Winry nudged him with her shoulder, and Ed relaxed a little bit.

"Hey, that pool table just opened up. Wanna play?" Winry asked, hopefully. Greed nodded in agreement, took another shot, and then rose from the booth. Ed and Winry followed close behind him, and Greed had to bite back every dirty joke that popped into his head as Winry started racking up the pool balls in fear she'd hit him over the head with the pool cue. 

The first half of the game went by fast. Winry was kicking Greed's ass- again. Ed watched with an all too happy smirk that quickly vanished when one of the drunken patrons grabbed at Winry as he walked past her. A few things happened at once; Ed grabbed the back of the man's shirt, pulled him away from Winry, spun him around, and started hollering at him. 

"What the hell are you doing, buddy?!" Ed demanded as he pointed an accusatory finger in the man's face. 

"Gettin' a feel of that ass!" the man slurred. 

"Like hell, you are!"

The man let out a loud, drunk laugh, which only pissed Ed off more. Greed only had seconds to act before all hell broke loose. Winry and Ed were far below him when it came to spotting indicators of violence and bar fights; it was almost funny. Or maybe it was sad that he was so good at noticing them...

Greed vaulted over the pool table and grabbed the man's arm just as was getting ready to take a swing at Ed. In one fluid motion, Greed twisted the man's arm behind him and pushed him face down into the pool table. 

"Alright, apologize to her. Now." Greed demanded. 

"Fuck you!" the man hollered. Greed pushed down on his face a little harder and leaned closer to the man's ear.

"Apologize. Now." Greed hissed. 

Taking his eyes off the man was a mistake Greed shouldn't have made. He didn't see him reaching for the pool cue until it was swinging towards his head. 

"Ah, shit!" Greed groaned as he released the man, wiped the blood from his nose, and then pushed Winry out of the way as the man swung the cue towards her. She could hold her own without a doubt, but this was one mess Greed wouldn't let her get involved in. 

Greed took another hit to the face when he stepped in front of Winry. He groaned a little and tore the pool cue from the man's hands, made brief eye contact with Ed, and then sent the end of the pool cue into the man's gut. When the man doubled over in pain, Ed brought his knee up into the man's face. 

Ordinarily, that would have been the end of the fight, but the man stood straight, spit blood on the floor, shoved Ed against the bar, and charged at Greed. Greed swept the man's legs out from under him, and he hit the floor with a thud. Without wasting a second, Greed planted a boot on the man's chest and glared down. 

"Are you done?" Greed demanded. The man weakly groaned and nodded, "Good. Now, apologize."

"I'm s-sorry!"

"For?"

"Everything!"

"How about touching her without consent, being generally disgusting, and attacking her fiance?" Greed demanded as he pushed his foot down harder.

"I'm sorry for touching her without consent!"

"And?"

"And being disgusting and attacking her fiance!"

"Good." Greed growled, taking his foot off the man's chest. He took a step back and took a deep breath, forcing the adrenaline and anger down. 

"Hey, Claire?" Greed hollered into the crowd of spectators. 

"Uh-huh?" she called back. Greed couldn't see her in the crowd, but he knew she was there somewhere, which was good enough for him. 

"Put our bill on his tab- would you?"

"You got it!" 

Greed pulled Ed from the crowd, took Winry by the elbow, and escorted them out of the bar. The fresh air hit Greed like a wall as he left the bar. For once, he was freezing. The blood on his face didn't help either. The door slowly swung shut as he let out a sigh and lit a cigarette. 

"Are you okay?" he asked Winry in between puffs. Winry nodded and shivered; Ed was quick to pull his coat off and drape it over Winry's shoulders. 

"Good. I'll only be a minute, and then we can go." Greed muttered. There was an understandable bitterness to his words; all he wanted to do was go out for a drink with his friends, which couldn't even happen without something going wrong. It was like Greed was cursed to bring down everyone around him. 

"Thank you, Greed," Winry said quietly. 

"Yeah, thanks, I owe you one," Ed added as he fished his car keys out of his pocket.

"Don't worry about it. I was just doing the right thing." Greed told Ed, who made a thoughtful noise in response and then walked in the direction of the car. 

"Are you okay? Your face is all bloody." Winry asked, reaching towards his face to wipe some of the blood away. Greed jerked his head away and flicked his cigarette into the parking lot as Ed pulled up with the car. 

"Don't get your hands all bloody. I'll be fine."

Greed and Winry got into the car without another word. The whole ride was silent as the three of them processed what had just happened. When the car pulled up in front of Greed's house, he said a quick goodbye and got out of the car. He'd forgotten to turn his porch light on before he left, so he had to go up the walkway using the flashlight on his phone. Greed paid no attention to the sound of a car door closing as he pulled his keys from his pocket, but he spun around wildly as a familiar voice called out his name. 

"Ling? What are you doing here?" Greed asked, shining his flashlight at him.

"I came back to get my car, and you weren't home..."

"So, you waited for me?"

"Yeah."

Greed scoffed, rolled his eyes, and then unlocked the door, motioning for Ling to go inside. Greed followed him inside, closed the door, and then flipped on the lights. 

"How was your date?" Greed asked as he pulled his coat off and hung it on the hook. He really didn't want to hear how amazing the date went, how kind Russell was, how handsome he was, how funny and charming he can be, but regardless of how he felt about Ling, Greed still needed to be a good friend. 

"It was good! We grabbed dinner at that- what happened? Why are you bleeding?!" Ling demanded when Greed turned to face him. 

"Huh?" Greed brought a hand to his face and tried to wipe some of the blood away. "Oh, me, Ed, and Winry went to a bar, and some guy got a little handsy with Winry."

"Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine." Greed told Ling as he brushed past him. He stumbled a little and steadied himself on the wall before continuing down the hall to his bedroom. It seemed like all the drinks he'd had were starting to catch up with him. 

Greed sat on the end of his bed and pulled his boots off, groaning as Ling walked in and turned the lights on. His head was killing him already; taking a pool cue to the face will do that to you, though. When Ling pressed a damp rag to Greed's face, he let out a defeated sigh. He didn't need to be taken care of, especially not by Ling. 

"Why are you doing that, Ling?"

"Why am I getting the blood off your face?"

"Yeah. I can take care of myself." 

"Because I want to help you," Ling stated as he wiped the blood away. Greed scoffed but knew resisting was useless- once Ling set his mind to something, there was no stopping him. "You're allowed to let people help you, you know?" he added once the rest of the blood was gone. Greed shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to admit that he felt like he didn't deserve the help. 

"...Thank you," Greed muttered. Ling nodded in response and looked down at his phone. Greed snuck a quick glance at the screen and then stood up. It was only 11:30, but he was exhausted. 

"You staying, or are you going home?" Greed asked as he pulled his shirt off. 

"Can I stay? Lan Fan's having a sleepover with some of the girls from the Dojo, and I do not want to wake up with a head full of braids again."

Greed chuckled and nodded before turning his focus to his legs as he pulled his pants off.

"I've got a pair of pajamas in the drawer," Greed yawned, "you can wear those."

Greed sank into the bed, plugged in his phone, and got under the covers. He heard the sound of his drawers being opened and closed, footsteps, and then the bathroom door closing. 

So much had happened over the day; every time Greed tried to think about it, the steady throbbing in his head got a little more intense. He thought the bar would be safe because he was there, but it wasn't… Not for Winry or Ed, anyway. That was why Greed had been alone and friendless; bad things happened to the people he cared about. If he hadn't let himself be so open with Ling, no one would have gotten hurt.

Greed snapped out of his thoughts when Ling walked into the room and put his neatly folded clothes on top of the dresser before he turned off the light. Ling got into bed next to Greed and groaned when his phone started ringing. 

"Hello?" Ling said into the phone. There was a pause before he responded to whoever had called. "Oh, Russell! Hi! I totally forgot to let you know I got home safe- well, actually, I'm staying the night at Greed's house."

"No, I'm not sleeping on the couch? Why would I? Greed's bed is plenty big for both of us to fit!"

"Okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Goodnight, Russell."

Ling put his phone back on the nightstand and rolled over, so he was facing Greed. That was how he always slept when he stayed the night, and Greed thought it was adorable. He stopped the thought in its tracks and turned his head, so he wasn't looking at Ling anymore. 

'I can't think about him like that anymore. That's not fair to him. I'm not going to be that guy.' Greed told himself. 

"Ling, did you take your binder off?" Greed asked, fighting to stay awake until he got his answer. Ling mumbled something under his breath, sat up in bed, pulled Greed's sweater off, and then his binder, throwing it carelessly onto the floor before putting the hoodie back on. 

"Happy?" 

"Yes. Goodnight, ya pissant." 

  
  
  
  



	3. i hate to say i love you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life sucks, and now there's a party- also, it's almost Christmas. Where the hell did the time go? Greed and CO. play party games, and Greed has one (1) emotional heart-to-heart with someone.

Ling had been seeing Russell for a few months now. He was happy and seemed to be thriving in his new relationship; the same couldn't be said for Greed. 

Work had been hell lately; Greed lost any and all inspiration he had, which caused his job performance and pay to plummet. He saw Ling less and less, and when he  _ did  _ get to see Ling, it wasn't for long. On the rare occasion that Ling stayed the night, he slept on the couch (which Greed understood but didn't like) and was gone by the time Greed got home from work. 

Greed was staring down at his keyboard, trying to get something- anything typed out, but the longer he stared, the emptier his brain felt. When his phone vibrated across his desk, he glanced at it and felt his heart stop; it was a message from Ling. He could only vaguely remember the last time they spoke to each other. 

**Ling- 9:15:** ✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧ Hey! Are you going to Ed's party tonight? 

**Greed- 9:15:** are you going?

**Ling- 9:17:** Yup! 

**Greed- 9:17:** i'll be there. what time?

**Ling- 9:17:** Yay!! 

**Ling- 9:18:** I think everyone's going to be there around 6! Russell's coming tonight too! I can't wait for you to meet him! ( ꈍᴗꈍ)

Greed put his phone back in his pocket before he could text Ling and say that something came up at work. He had already agreed to go, and it would be evident that Russell going to the party was the reason he wasn't going anymore. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and got to work, typing "Not in That Way" into the title box.

_ "And I hate to say I love you _

_ When it's so hard for me _

_ And I hate to say I want you _

_ When you make it so clear _

_ You don't want me _

_ I'd never ask you 'cause deep down _

_ I'm certain I know what you'd say _

_ You'd say I'm sorry, believe me _

_ I love you but not in that way _

_ And I hate to say I need you _

_ I'm so reliant _

_ I'm so dependent _

_ I'm such a fool" _

Greed felt pathetic as the words appeared on the page... there was no way he could finish this song. He didn't think he could handle reading his deepest feelings over and over again, molding them into some sort of semblance of a song. He needed to take a break, get his eyes away from the screen and...and he didn't know what else. He stood up, walked into the bathroom, and called Maes. He needed advice right now, and it might as well be from his dad. The phone rang a few times before he picked up the phone. 

"Greed! Long time no talk! How've you been? Busy with Ling, I bet!" 

"No, pops-"

"Ah, two young souls in love! What could be better?!"

"Pops-"

"So when's the wedding?!"

" ** _He has a boyfriend!_** " Greed yelled into the phone. 

"He...he has a boyfriend," he repeated, voice lower but more unsteady. Maes was quiet for what felt like hours before he responded. 

"Greed...I'm...I'm sorry." Maes said quietly. 

"It's not your fault... Ling wants me to meet him tonight, and I'm not sure if I can handle that."

"I know... You need to meet him, though. Ling's been your friend forever, and it isn't fair to him if you shut him out because of this...  _ Especially  _ if he doesn't know how you feel."

"Yeah, I know... I think I just needed to hear someone else tell me. Thank you, pops."

"Call me if you need anything, Greed. I love you."

Greed hung up the phone and went back to his desk, determined to get this song finished. With shaky hands, he typed out the final lines. 

_ "When you're not there _

_ I find myself singing the blues _

_ Can't bear _

_ Can't face the truth _

_ You will never know that feeling _

_ You will never see through these eyes" _

Greed uploaded the song, rose from his desk, and walked out of the building, straight to the bus stop. As Greed was getting on the bus, he felt his phone go off in his pocket. He really didn't have the energy for human interaction- even through a screen, but he pulled his phone out anyway. 

**Ling- 3:18:** Do you need a ride to the party? 

**Greed- 3:18:** your car doesn't have back seats. how are you going to fit three people in it? 

**Ling- 3:19:** I'm not??? Russell is going to meet me there after he gets off his shift!

**Greed- 3:20:** oh. yeah a ride would be good.

**Ling- 3:20:** See you around 5:45! (◍•ᴗ•◍)

Greed hopped off the bus a stop early and chain-smoked the whole way home. He had limited things to get him to relax even in the slightest, and 98% of them were unhealthy. If he died young, he died young; but he wouldn't die stressed out. He left his jacket on the porch to air out, walked inside, and got directly into the shower. He was halfway through washing his hair when the hot water heater died. 

" _ Of course! _ " Greed grumbled as he forced himself to stay under the water: hot water or no hot water, he still needed to shower. After a few more frigid minutes, he turned off the water and rushed across the hall to his room, dripping wet footprints behind him. He wrote " _ fix water heater _ " on an already lengthy to-do list sitting on his dresser. 

Greed pulled the cleanest smelling pair of pants from his dirty laundry pile and added " _ fucking laundry _ " to the list. They just happened to be his least favorite pair of light-wash jeans that Ling practically forced him to buy, listing a million different reasons until he broke and bought them. Before Greed could pull on his shirt, there was a knock on the door. He walked to the door, swearing and grumbling about how he couldn't catch a break, and swung it open. 

"Hey, I'm a  _ little  _ early! I hope that's alright!" 

"It's 4:30, Ling. You're more than a little early." Greed chuckled, "but, yeah, come in."

Greed moved aside to let Ling inside, closed the door, and went back to his room to finish getting dressed. He could feel Ling watching him as he pulled his shirt over his head.  He couldn't get himself to look at Ling, so he turned around and pretended to look for something. Greed was happy he was here, but the longer his eyes were on Ling, the more his heart ached.

"Is  _ that  _ what you're wearing?" Ling asked, half disgusted, half amused. 

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Greed demanded, turning to look at Ling. 

"For starters," Ling said with a mischievous grin, "that's a different shade of black than your jacket, and that isn't even your shirt!"

"...It's not?" Greed asked, looking down at the shirt; he could have sworn it was his.

"Nope! That one's mine. Remember we got matching shirts at that concert?"

"Oh yeah..." Greed said with a nostalgic sigh. He vaguely remembered that concert, but what he  _ did  _ remember was how handsome Ling looked under the vibrant colored stage lights, how his hair bounced when he jumped with the crowd, and the excited grin on his face when Greed suggested they buy matching shirts. Greed shook his head in an attempt to dislodge the thought and pulled the shirt off. Before he could even start looking for a different shirt, Ling had his drawer open and pulled a white shirt from the drawer.

"Here, wear this one... You look good in it." Ling said as he held the shirt out. Greed took the shirt and pulled it on, adjusting it so it was loosely tucked into his pants. 

"Better?" Greed asked, trying his best to sound annoyed even though he wasn't. He usually was annoyed when Ling would tell him what to wear- even if it was helpful. But after so much time apart, Greed was desperate for any interaction he could get with Ling. He didn't want to sound as desperate as he felt, so for Ling's sake, he'd act however he needed to- so nothing seemed off. 

Ling looked him over and nodded happily before pulling out his phone and squinting at the screen. With an annoyed sigh, Ling shoved his phone back into his pocket and looked up at Greed, dramatically blowing his bangs from his face before speaking. 

"Ed needs us to pick up some stuff for the party." 

"Who would have thought?" Greed asked with a chuckle. That was just like Ed, a last-minute text begging them to grab something before they came to the party. Was he that bad at planning, or was he just that lazy? Ling nodded and started walking to the front door as Greed pulled his boots on, quickly following behind Ling, only pausing to grab his keys and turn on the front light before exiting. 

"Hurry up!" Ling complained from inside his car, the windows were down, and there was already music playing. Greed didn't recognize the song, which he thought was odd. Ling was predictable; he listened to the same playlist every time he drove. 

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming!" Greed grumbled and pulled his leather jacket off of the railing. Once his jacket was on, Greed got into the car and hung his arm out the window, frowning when he realized the seat had been adjusted. He grumbled to himself as he re-adjusted it but didn’t voice his complaint.

"Sorry, Russell must have adjusted the seat," Ling explained as he started driving. Greed nodded in response and stared out the window. "So... are you excited for Christmas?" 

"Christmas?"

"Um... Yeah?"

"Christmas is like 2 months away."

"Greed, it's November."

"Oh... Wait- what?"

"It's November 25th?"

"Shit."

Greed made a mental note to add "buy Christmas presents" to his to-do list when he got home. That was just one more thing for him to worry about. Before he met Ling, he never really cared about Christmas, and now it seemed just as pointless as before. Christmas wouldn't be the same if he couldn't celebrate with Ling... At least he'd have an  _ actual  _ reason to spoil Elicia. 

"We're still going to exchange presents, right?" Ling asked as he parked the car. He started to unbuckle his seatbelt but hesitated and waited for Greed to answer. 

"Yeah, of course!" Greed said perhaps a bit too eagerly, "I mean... as long as you aren't busy or anything."

"I won't be. We'll do what we normally do!" Ling answered with an excited grin. Greed nodded his head, unbuckled his seatbelt, and got out of the car; Ling followed shortly after and rushed into the store. Greed laughed to himself as he hurried after Ling. Why Ling thought overalls and a cropped sweater were appropriate winter attire was beyond Greed. 

"So, what do we need?" 

"Chips this time.” Ling hummed after checking his phone, rolling his eyes as he shoved it back in his pocket, “What I don't understand is how Ed doesn't just have chips at home? Like who doesn't have chips?"

"Well, at least it's not beer again." Greed grumbled as he remembered the debacle that took place in the liquor store the last time they bought something for Ed.

"Oh yeah! That was the time that dude tried to fight you over the last six-pack!"

Greed nodded and stopped in front of the small variety of chips the store offered. Hopefully, this trip would be incident-free. He couldn’t imagine anyone getting into a fistfight over chips, but stranger things had happened before. 

"Want to just get one of everything?" Ling asked. Greed shook his head and started grabbing bags from the shelves. 

"One of everything, but  _ two  _ honey barbeque," he told Ling, gently hitting him in the face with the two bags of honey barbeque chips before dropping them in the cart. 

"I don't know why you bother remembering what my favorite chips are." 

"I think you just feel bad because you don't know  _ my  _ favorite chip." Greed teased. He pushed the cart away from Ling, leaving him in the middle of the aisle as he thought. He was halfway down the aisle when Ling let out a groan.

"You tricked me!" Ling exclaimed when he caught up with Greed, "you don't have a favorite type of chip because you don't like them!" 

"Took you long enough." Greed smirked and continued pushing the cart around the store. They didn't need anything else; he just liked spending time with Ling. Eventually, Greed brought the cart to the register and was able to pay for everything while Ling wasn't paying attention; he got distracted by a magazine. It was almost $20.00 in chips, but the look on Ling's face was worth it. 

"Should have let me buy the chips." Ling huffed as they carried the bags out of the store. Greed rolled his eyes and stuffed the bags into the trunk. 

"You need a bigger trunk, Ling." Greed grumbled as he got back into the car. 

"Well, next time I get a new car, you'll have to come so you can give me your approval on a big enough trunk."

"Hey, now, I wanted to go last time, but you brought Lan Fan instead, and she talked you into buying this." 

"Ah, shut it!" Ling muttered as he backed out of the parking space and started the drive to Ed's house. Everything was quiet except for the music as they drove. Every so often, Ling would hum along, and Greed stayed silent, enjoying the sound. 

"What do you think of this playlist?" Ling asked, breaking the silence, "Russell made it for me- isn't that so sweet?"

"Yeah, I guesso."

"I don't know a lot of the songs on here, though... it's mostly music he likes..." Ling trailed off and chewed on his lip as he parked outside of Ed's house. 

Once the car was parked, Greed hopped out, collected the bags, and waited patiently for Ling to get out. Together they walked up the stairs and into Ed's apartment. There were already a few people inside. Roy, Lan Fan, and Paninya were on the couch in the middle of a heated debate. Alphonse and Riza were in the hallway, huddled over Alphonse's phone, watching a video, and Ed and Winry were in the kitchen, putting out the rest of the party supplies. Ling managed to slip away in the excitement surrounding their arrival, leaving Greed to bring the bags into the kitchen.

"Hey, Greed! Long time no see!" Winry exclaimed. Greed set the bags down on the counter and scratched the back of his neck. 

"Hey, Win, sorry... Works been crazy lately." Greed lied; work hadn't been crazy at all. He'd just been excruciatingly depressed. 

"What  _ do  _ you do for work?"

"You'll never get it out of him, Winry. Trust me- I've tried." Ed said with a small chuckle before un-bagging the chips and tossing them carelessly onto the counter. 

"Oh, one of those honey barbeque's are for Ling." Greed told Ed before fixing himself a drink. Ed nodded and put one of the bags into the cabinet. 

"Who else is coming?" Greed asked after taking a sip from his cup and then wincing- he'd made it a  _ little  _ too strong. Not that he really cared; it just caught him off guard.

"I'm pretty sure everyone's here. Mei might stop by at some point in the night, and... Russell's coming later." Ed answered as he stared into his cup. 

"Yeah. Ling told me." Greed muttered, "So, blondie, how's your certification coming along?"

"All right I-"

"Winry!  _ Come on!  _ We talked about this! Greed, she's the top in her class right now!"

"That's what I was going to say, Edward!" 

Greed slowly backed out of the room as the two bickered; he was  _ not  _ going to get involved like he did last time. It got really uncomfortable really fast and resulted in Ed staying at Greed's house for a week. As Greed was making his way into the living room, the front door cracked open. Greed froze mid-step and held his breath as he waited to see who was walking in the door. It was only Mei. 

"Hey, Mei." 

"Where's Ling?"

Greed pointed towards the living room and then turned around and stalked down the hall to Al and Riza. He wasn’t sure why Mei was so cold towards him, but for some reason, he understood.

"Greed! Hi!" 

"Hey, Al." he said, trying to match Al's enthusiasm, "Riza." Greed nodded in her direction; she gave him a soft smile and nodded back. 

"What are you guys doing in the hallway?" Greed asked as he looked back towards the living room where the party was happening.

"Waiting for Roy to finish debating with Paninya and Lan Fan," Riza answered with a tired sigh. Greed nodded his head understandingly. It seemed like whenever those three were in a room together, they were either helping Roy practice his debates or actually debating. 

"I think they've wrapped it up for the night. Seemed pretty quiet in there when I walked past."

Riza nodded and followed Greed and Alphonse to the living-room. They had indeed settled down for the night, and everyone was crammed in the tiny room, talking excitedly. Riza sat on the arm of the red leather armchair Roy had claimed. Alphonse squished on the couch between Winry and Lan Fan, leaving the only open spot on the couch next to Ling; or on the floor next to Ed. 

Greed glanced around the room before settling on the floor next to Ed, he knew Russell would be here eventually, and if he sat next to Ling, he wouldn't want to move. 

"I think I'm gonna be setting the agenda here, okay?" Ed announced to the room. He waited for everyone to fall silent before continuing.

"I think this is a perfect opportunity for all of us to participate in some really intense psychologically revealing conversations. So we're gonna be playing Desert Island... um, "Who Would You Do?" And um..."

"Would you rather?" Winry offered.

"Would You Rather?" is our third game," Ed said as he nodded in agreement.

"Okay, so, three books on a desert island. Riza?"

"Code Girls.”

"That's one book. You've got two others." 

"War and Peace."

"Nice... third book."

"No."

Ed rubbed his face in annoyance, took a deep breath, and then looked around the room.

"Okay, Winry?" Ed asked, hopefully.

"Um... Pride and Prejudice!"

"Pride and Prejudice! I would bring Pride and Prejudice..." Riza exclaimed sarcastically, "so I could  _ burn  _ Pride and Prejudice."

"Okay, great, that's gonna keep you warm for, like, seven seconds. Question, is there firewood on the island?" Lan Fan asked, leaning forward to study Ed's face. Greed couldn’t tell if she was serious or if she was just trying to annoy Ed. He’d never find out though, Lan Fan was a closed, locked, and buried book. 

"...I guess?" Ed answered as he shot a look at Greed. He shrugged in response, unsure of how he was supposed to help in this situation.

"Then I would bring an ax. No books."

"No, it has to be a book, Lan Fan."

"Fine. Physician's Desk Reference-"

"Nice. Good!"

"Hollowed out. Inside, waterproof matches, iodine tablets. Beet seeds, protein bars, NASA blanket. And... in case I get bored, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. No, Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban. Question, did my shoes come off in the plane crash?"

Ed threw his hands up in exasperation and grumbled under his breath. 

"Okay... Colonel Bastard, get us back into it... Desert Island, five movies, go ahead."

"Den of Thieves, Alien, The God Father-"

"Ooh, definitely in my top five." Lan Fan said, nodding in approval. 

"Yes, in my top three, so suck it..." Roy shot back before continuing, "Pulp Fiction, The Hangover..."

"Okay, that's five," Ed grumbled. 

"No! My all-time favorite!"

"Roy, play by the rules. Play by the-"

"All-time favorite!"

"Greed! All-time favorite movie." 

"The Nightengale." Greed answered as he drained the rest of his cup, got off the floor, and made a beeline for the kitchen to refill his cup. He took his time mixing a new drink, his social battery was running out fast, and the night had just started. Greed grabbed a handful of popcorn out of one of the plastic bowls on the counter and took his time eating it slowly, paying no mind to the door opening and closing. 

When he returned to the living room, there was someone- definitely Russell- sitting on the couch next to Ling. He and Russell locked eyes, and Greed felt his stomach churn and drop when Russell pressed a kiss to Ling's temple while keeping eye contact with Greed. 

"Let's move on to the main event: Who Would You Do?" Ed announced when Greed took his seat next to him. 

"Present company excluded?" Paninya asked with a sly smile. 

"Um, not necessarily." Ed sighed, almost like he knew what was going to happen next. A drunk Lan Fan and Paninya both said Winry simultaneously and then high-fived; Ed looked like he was going to blow a gasket. It made Greed chuckle a little.

"Okay... Russell." Ed said as he turned his attention to him, "Russell, who would you do?"

A small smile grew on Ling's face while Russell thought, only to completely dissolve when he answered. 

"Uh... Oh, I got it! What's the name of that tight-ass Christian chick at the dojo?"

That made Greed's blood boil. He would have said Ling in a heartbeat, so why wouldn't Russell? He  _ is  _ dating Ling, after all. 

"Um... the blonde one?" Lan Fan asked. She sounded just as pissed off as Greed felt. At least someone was visibly on his side. Russell nodded and put an arm around Ling. 

"Angela." Lan Fan replied flatly. 

"Yeah. Her."

"All right, who's next? Who's next?" Ed said as he searched around the room, "Who's next? Who's... Greed? You're next. Who would you do?"

"Um, Roy, hands down. Yeah. He's really got that teddy bear thing going on. Afterward, we could just watch bowling." Greed said with a smile. He saw Ling smile from the corner of his eye, and he knew that his job was done for now. Ling was happy, and that was all that mattered. 

Roy wiggled his eyebrows at Greed, and that made the whole room erupt into laughter. Despite the tension clearing from the room, Greed's heart still felt heavy, a little less so, now that Ling was laughing, but it was still heavy. He couldn't wrap his head around how Russell said what he did when he had someone as perfect as Ling sitting next to him. 

He got up from his seat again and went outside to calm down. He was not about to get into a fight with someone he didn't know over a few words, especially if that someone was Ling's boyfriend. He’d just lit his second cigarette when the door opened, and someone came out onto the deck. He only turned to look when they sat on the steps next to him. 

"Are you alright?" Ling asked with a shiver. 

Greed nodded, pressed his cigarette in between his lips, pulled off his coat, and took everything out of the pockets. 

"Here," Greed mumbled as he draped his jacket around Ling. "I don't know why you're out here without a jacket. You'll freeze."

"What about you?" Ling questioned as he pulled the coat tighter. 

"I'll be fine. Probably going to go soon anyway."

"Oh..." Ling frowned "do you want me to drive you home?"

"No. Stay and enjoy the party. I'll ask Riza for a ride." Greed said as he stood. He flicked his half-smoked cigarette away and went inside, leaving Ling on the porch by himself. Thankfully, Riza was alone in the kitchen when Greed got back inside. He hadn't been looking forward to asking her for a ride in front of everyone. 

"Hey, Riza, do you think you can bring me home? Please?" Greed asked. Riza set her drink on the counter and pulled her keys out of her pocket. 

"Sure, I could use some fresh air anyway."

Greed followed Riza out the backdoor and down the stairs to her car. The engine roared to life, and Riza pulled out of the driveway.

"New car?" Greed asked once Ed's apartment was out of sight. 

"Sorta. '69 Ford Mustang Boss 429. It took me a while to fix it up, but I finally finished it. You can't tell right now because it's dark, but I got it painted a cherry red."

"No, shit." Greed said. He couldn't not be impressed. The fact that Riza was able to restore this car, work a full-time job, and keep her house as clean as it was the last time he saw it, amazed him. "what does Hayate think of the car?"

"You're joking, right?" Riza laughed, "I don't even let Roy in this car."

Greed let out a small chuckle, and the pair fell into silence as Riza drove. She gunned it over the hill, and for a second, Greed's life flashed before his eyes before the exhilaration of flying down the empty street kicked in. Riza eased off the gas and flicked her eyes at Greed before clearing her throat.

"So... do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?"

"Come on, Greed. You  _ never  _ leave a party this early. It's Ling's new boyfriend, isn't it?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"No. It was just a hunch... You know, Ling hasn't even introduced him to Scar and Miles yet.  _ You  _ were supposed to be the first to meet him, but you weren't in the living room when he got here."

"Why are you telling me this, Riza?"

"Because I think you deserve to know. Ling... he- he values your opinion over his own fathers'."

"I wish he didn't." Greed muttered. He heard Riza sigh, and then she pulled the car over. Why was she pulling over?? He just wanted to go home...

"Why? He's your best friend. Shouldn't you be happy he wants your opinion? Shouldn't you be happy for him?"

"I am... it's just-" Greed stopped himself and sighed. This wasn't how he wanted to end the night; he was already in a bad mood and didn't want to make it worse.

"Just what, Greed?"

"I... I lost my chance. I couldn't tell him how I feel, and I lost my chance!" Greed muttered, the words were pouring out of him now, and he didn't know if he'd be able to stop. "I tried so many times,  _ so many times, Riza. _ And I couldn't get the words out! And then he said he was going on a date with Russell, and I wasn't going to be  _ that  _ guy. I couldn't put him in that position... I've lost the only person I'll ever love, and there's nothing I can do about it... Maybe this is the price I have to pay for the tragedy I've caused." 

Greed took in a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. If he kept going at this rate, he'd get himself worked up to a point he wouldn't be able to come down from for a long time. 

"But... I think that as long as he's happy, I'll be okay. Even if it isn't me he's happy with. That's all I care about. I just... I want him to be happy, Riza." Greed said quietly as he forcefully brushed away the tears before they had a chance to fall. Riza sat quietly for a moment before Greed felt her hand rest on top of his. 

"You might have lost your chance right now, but I don't think that means you've lost it forever, Greed. I'm sure you'll get a chance again, it might be months or years, but you  _ will  _ get a chance to tell Ling how you feel. But you have to promise me something."

"...What?"

"Don't freak yourself out and miss your chance again because you  _ never  _ know how many chances you're going to get."

Before Greed could respond, Riza was driving again, and before long, they were outside Greed's house. 

"Thank you for the ride... and for letting me talk." 

"You're welcome, Greed."

"Goodnight, Mama Hawk." Greed said with a sly yet forced smile before getting out of the car.

"Hey, Greed!" Riza hollered. Greed stopped halfway to his door and turned around. "Call me "Mama Hawk" again, and I'll shoot you in the knee caps."

  
  



	4. isn't it messed up how i'm just dying to be him?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Christmas time, and an unexpected encounter with Russell, abandoned feelings, and old memories threaten to ruin the holiday before it's even started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> merry christmas! i'm posting this update (super) early for y'all! Enjoy your day! :)

Greed was _not_ having a good time Christmas shopping. The stores were loud, crowded, and cluttered. It made it almost impossible for him to focus on shopping, but once he bought a pair of headphones and put on some music, it got easier. 

He didn't have to worry about a present for Elicia; he had plenty stock-piled under his bed. He needed to shop for Maes, Gracia, and Ling. Maes and Gracia were easy to shop for; they had simple and unchanging interests. Ling, however, his interests were always evolving, and they hadn't spoken since Ed's party, so it was more difficult for Greed than usual.

Greed picked up a glass pie dish for Gracia and brought it to the engraver's shop to get 'Hughes,’ and the year Maes and Gracia got married engraved on the bottom of the dish. He also got the handles of Maes' knives he had 'borrowed' engraved with his and Elicia's fingerprint. Greed just happened to have one of Elicia's handprints folded up in his wallet. He couldn't remember when she had made it, but judging by the size of the bright pink hand, it wasn't too long ago.

Greed wandered around the mall while he waited for Maes' and Gracia's gifts to be ready. He wasn't paying attention as he wandered around a store, and he walked right into someone. 

"Oh, sorry, man." Greed said, pulling the headphones from his ears. His heart stopped in his chest when the man he walked in to turned around.

"Hey! I know you- you're Ling's friend... Greed, right?"

"Russell?" Greed asked even though he knew who he was talking to; Russell clearly forgot. Granted, they never _officially_ met, but there was no way Greed would forget his face. 

"Yeah, that's me. Hey, listen, do you think you could help me out?"

"With?" Greed asked, crossing his arms. 

"Truth is, I have no idea what to get Ling for Christmas... and you're like his best friend- right?"

Greed held his tongue and held out the distressed denim jacket he was holding. 

"He's been eyeing this jacket for a while. He wants to get the back of it embroidered- get him a gift card to the embroiderer on 7th Street. They normally don't do gift cards, but if you tell them you know me, they'll do it for you no problem."

"Thanks, man. You're a lifesaver!" Russell exclaimed with a relieved sigh. 

Greed nodded, turned on his heels, and left the store. He'd have to figure out something else to get Ling. He couldn't help but be bothered that Russell didn't know what to get him for Christmas. He must be awful at paying attention, Ling's pretty vocal about his interests. 

Greed wandered into a bookstore and found himself standing in front of a wide variety of cookbooks. He pulled a traditional Chinese cookbook off the shelf and held it close to his chest until he could pay for it; while waiting in line, Greed grabbed a Christmas card off the shelf. Penguins in red snow hats, building a snowman. Ling loved cute shit like that. 

Greed got Maes' and Gracia's presents once they were ready and started walking downtown, looking for a specific store. Ling took him there once, but he couldn't remember what it was called. 

Greed eventually found the store, and with the help of a stout, cheerful old woman, he bought Ling a set of real, traditional, Chinese cookware to go with the cookbook he bought. Greed bought as much of it as he could in the same style that Ling had described his mother's like. It wasn't what Greed originally wanted to give Ling, but maybe this was even better. 

Greed got on the bus and struggled down the aisle with all his bags before settling in his seat. He groaned a little too loud when his phone buzzed in his pocket; some of the other people on the bus looked at him funny. 

**Unknown Number- 3:38:** Hey. Thnx 4 ur help today.

**Greed- 3:39:** who is this?

**Unknown Number- 3:39:** Russell. Ling gave me ur #

**Greed- 3:40:** oh. no problem. i'd do anything to make sure Ling's happy.

**Russell (Ling's Boyfriend)- 3:40:** I bet u would.

Greed put his phone back in his pocket; he was _not_ about to do this, especially not with Russell. He didn't mind fighting with Russell, and if he was honest, he _would_ like to fight Russell, but Ling didn't deserve that. He'd hold his tongue for Ling's sake. He said he'd do anything to make sure Ling was happy, and he meant it with every ounce of his being. 

Greed got off the bus and got to work wrapping presents, swearing as he worked; he hated wrapping presents. Once he was finally done and got the excess tape off his clothes, he stacked them neatly in the corner of his living room. The pile grew vastly larger when he added gifts for Elicia. 

The pile of presents was as decorated as his house ever got for Christmas; he didn't even have a tree. Ling lost his mind every year when Christmas rolled around, and Greed _still_ didn't have a tree. One year Ling drew a tree on the living room window with dry-erase markers. The memory made Greed chuckle and then made him feel sad. He couldn't help but wonder if Christmas with Ling would ever be the same. 

Greed rubbed at his face, stood from the couch, and made his way to the kitchen table where Ling's blank Christmas card was lying next to a pen. He rolled the pen in his fingers while he thought about what he wanted to write, but _"Merry Christmas- Greed"_ and _"Happy Holidays, Pissant."_ weren't cutting it, not this year anyway. 

Greed started writing before he could think about what he was putting down on the card. If it ended up not making sense or being poorly written, Greed could always throw the card away and pretend it never happened.

_"Ling,_ _12/25/21_

_Christmas is the time that you're supposed to tell people how you feel, so here goes..._

_I didn't know what love truly felt like until I met you. At first, I didn't think it was love, I didn't think I was capable of feeling_ **_or_ ** _receiving love, but you made me realize that I_ _can_ _feel love._

_The way your smile and laugh make my heart leap is love. The way I adore the way your hair falls in your face when you sleep is love. The way your presence makes me feel more confident is love. The way even thinking about you brightens my day is love._

_I could go on and on about it, Ling. But the truth is- whether I want to or can admit it, I love you. And I'm sorry if this is weird for you to read... I know we've been friends forever, but I needed to tell you how I felt. Just once. My only regret is how long it took me to get the courage to tell you, and even now, I have to tell you through a card._

_I love you, Ling, I think I always have, and I know I always will. If you don't feel the same way, I won't be upset. I could_ _never_ _be upset with you. All I want is for you to be happy and loved, and if it's not with me, that's okay. I can accept that. You and your happiness are all that matter to me._

_\- Greed."_

Greed read it over and wanted to throw the card in the garbage, erase his almost pathetic confession from existence, but he remembered his promise to Riza and sealed the card in the envelope and addressed it to "Pissant.”

* * *

There were only a few days until Christmas, and Greed had finally finished his to-do list. Christmas shopping was the last thing on there, and he could finally relax. Greed kicked his feet up on the coffee table, cracked open a beer, and put on a show he'd watched at least ten times already for background noise. 

The screen on Greed's phone lit up with a notification, and Greed almost spilled his beer when he reached to grab it. He swiped five unopened texts from Russell off his screen and opened the other message from Ling. 

**Ling- 5:13:** <(￣︶￣)> Hey! What time do you want to do presents this year?

**Ling- 5:13:** Also, before I forget (again), do you want to do Christmas morning instead of Christmas Eve this year?

**Greed- 5:13:** that’s fine. i have dinner with maes, gracia, and elicia around 4, though. did your plans change?

**Ling- 5:14:** Yeah. Miles and Scar's Christmas party was supposed to be Christmas day, but Miles changed it to Christmas Eve, and I still want to do our gift exchange!

**Greed- 5:16:** what about russell?

**Ling- 5:16** : He's going to the party with me on Christmas Eve, and he wants to spend Christmas morning with his brother. Have you met Fletcher before?

**Greed- 5:17:** no. what time do you want to come over?

**Ling- 5:20:** I was actually wondering if it would be alright with you if I just crashed at your place after the party. I really don't want to spend the night at home. (-_-;)

**Greed- 5:20:** yeah. i don't mind. i'll leave the key in the usual spot.

**Ling- 5:20:** Thank you! You're the best! (◡ ω ◡)

Greed tossed his phone on the couch next to him and looked around the house, he definitely needed to clean it before Ling came over, but he had two days to get it in order. 

  
  


"Two days to get the house clean," Greed grumbled to himself as he shoved laundry into the washing machine "yeah, right. Good one, Greed."

Greed continued cursing and grumbling as he vacuumed and swept. He'd put cleaning the house off for too long. He had to stay far too late at work, and he had to stop at the grocery store on the way home, which left him with only a few hours to get the house in order before Ling got there. 

Greed was shoving the vacuum back into the bathroom closet when he heard the front door open. He dusted off his hands and made his way to the front door. Ling was taking off his shoes when Greed got down the hall.

"Hey!" Ling exclaimed excitedly, perhaps a little too excitedly because he lost his balance and fell onto the floor with a thud. 

"You okay?" Greed asked as he knelt down and removed Ling's shoes before he pulled Ling to his feet. 

Ling nodded, pulled off the denim jacket Greed had given Russell to give to Ling, and hung it on the coat hook where Greed's jacket usually hung. 

"Hey, thank you for the jacket," Ling said as he undid the braid in his hair and removed the shiny red and green tinsel strands that were undoubtedly Mei's work. 

"Huh?"

"The jacket," Ling said again as he motioned to the denim jacket, "that was you, right? I never said anything about that jacket to Russell."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Greed told him before walking into the living room and settling on the couch. Ling followed quickly after and sat next to him. With a dramatic sigh, Ling flopped his head back and closed his eyes. 

"How was the party?" Greed asked as he paused the show he'd be watching- well, listening to. He didn't need background noise when Ling was around. 

"It was good! Scar finally let _me_ choose the playlist!! Oh, and Olivier came! She taught me this really cool trick- I'll have to show you later!"

"Yeah?" Greed asked quickly so Ling could continue before he lost his train of thought. 

"Yeah! And Scar and Miles and Mei all chipped in and got me this super cool longboard!"

"You don't know how to longboard, Ling."

"I know... I was hoping you could teach me!"

"I haven't been on a longboard in a few years."

"Please, Greed! Pretty please?"

"Alright, alright! Quit it with the puppy eyes! I'll teach you... once the snow goes away."

"Aaaaah! Thank you! It's so cool! The bottom of it is like outer space, but instead of planets, it's cats! The little Saturn cat has rings of yarn around it, but the little Pluto cat is my favorite! It's so- sorry- I'm rambling, aren't I?"

"Yeah," Greed softly chuckled, "but I don't mind. You're just excited."

Ling started to say something, but a yawn cut him off.

"Okay, you're drunk and tired. Let's get you to bed." Greed said softly before standing and pulling the blanket from the back of the couch. 

"I'll get you pajamas, okay?" 

Ling nodded, and Greed went into his room to pull out pajamas for Ling, thankfully he just did laundry, so Ling's favorite sweater was clean for him to sleep in. Greed brought the clothes into the living room and dropped them on the couch next to Ling.

"Go get changed. Take your binder off. You need to give your ribs a break, Ling." Greed told him sternly. Ling nodded and shuffled to the bathroom. Greed followed him but went into his room to get ready for bed. 

Greed pulled his shirt off and swore when he found a piece of tape stuck to the inside of his arm. Greed tore the tape off, crumpled it into a ball, and flicked it away. He let out a disappointed sigh when the tape ball traveled only a few inches and plummeted to the floor. 

Greed kicked off his pants and flipped the light off before getting into bed and under the covers. His phone screen illuminated the room when he plugged it in to charge, and then the room was cast in darkness again, except for the light filtering under the door from the hallway. Greed heard the bathroom door close, and he relaxed a little in bed, knowing that Ling was situated and on his way to the couch. 

Ling pushed the bedroom door open, shuffled over to the bed, and flopped face-first onto the mattress. 

"Uh, Ling?" 

"Mhmm?"

"I thought you had to sleep on the couch."

"Beds more comfortable," Ling mumbled as he turned onto his side, so he faced Greed. 

"Do you want a blanket?"

"We can't share one?" Ling asked. He sounded so pitiful, it almost broke Greed's heart. 

"Of course, we can." Greed answered softly. Ling made a happy sound and snuggled under the blankets. 

Greed felt like his heart was beating so hard Ling would be able to hear it. He tried his best to shut his brain off and go to sleep, but he couldn't. The night felt impossibly long as it dragged by, Greed would nod off for a few minutes, but every time Ling shifted in bed, he'd wake up again. Perhaps he wasn't used to sharing a bed with someone anymore. That had to be it. It had _nothing_ to do with the way his heart fluttered in his chest and the almost unnatural compulsion to scoop Ling into his arms. Definitely not. 

Greed gave up on sleeping and got out of bed around five, careful to avoid the squeaky floorboard that woke up Ling every time he stepped on it. He flipped the lights on in the kitchen and made himself a cup of coffee, filling the biggest mug he had before going outside. He couldn't help but shiver when he sat on the frost-covered steps. He should have put on his jacket, or any clothes, really. 

Greed went back inside, snuck into the bedroom, pulled on whatever clothes he touched first, and went back outside. In the dim light of the early morning, he looked down at himself, thankful that he didn't look the way he imagined. Apparently, he was good at getting dressed in the dark; of course, the fact that most of his clothes were black helped. 

Greed lit a cigarette from the pack he kept in the flowerpot on the steps and held his coffee tighter in his hand. The minutes went by slowly as Greed alternated between puffing on his cigarette and drinking his coffee. 

He abandoned the front steps before the sun began to rise and refilled his coffee cup. For as warm as the coffee was, it did nothing but burn Greed's tongue. Mildly irritated, Greed set down his coffee, dropped himself onto the couch, and turned on the TV. He needed to do something to keep himself occupied while Ling was asleep.

Greed startled awake when someone's hand clamped down on his shoulder and started shaking it. His eyes flew open, and he sat up straight.

"Greed, chill out! It's just me!" 

"Jesus Christ! Don't do that, ya pissant!" 

"Why were you sleeping on the couch?" Ling asked as he sat down next to Greed. He shrugged and scratched the back of his neck before answering. 

"I couldn't sleep, so I came out here. I didn't want to wake you up- must have passed out as soon as I sat down. What time is it?"

"7:45," Ling answered after checking the time on his phone. He looked at Greed with a stern expression before continuing, "you should have woken me up, Greed."

"How did you sleep?" 

"I slept okay," Ling said as he stretched his arms over his head, "want breakfast?"

Greed nodded, relieved that Ling didn't press the issue or question his blatant attempt to change the subject- it was still early, and Greed had hardly slept; he wasn't at his usual level of cunning. 

"Oh, wait! I got those muffins you like. They're on the counter."

"Oh! You're the best!" Ling exclaimed before hopping off the couch and going into the kitchen. He came back a few minutes later with two muffins balanced in one hand and two cups of coffee in the other. 

Greed took the coffees from Ling when he was within reach and set them down on the table. Ling sat on the couch with his knees pulled to his chest and then handed Greed a muffin. 

They ate in companionable silence. Greed abandoned his muffin halfway through; orange and cranberry muffins were pretty low on his favorite muffin list, but Ling loved them, so Greed bought them whenever he knew Ling would be around. 

"Want to do presents soon?" Ling asked as he held his coffee closer to his chest. His hands barely made it all the way around the mug.

"Yeah... are you cold?"

Ling nodded slowly, giving a sheepish smile before he sipped his coffee. 

"You should have told me earlier; I'll turn the heat on."

"Your heat isn't on?!"

"No?"

Ling made a string of indescribable sounds and tucked further into himself as Greed stood from the couch and fiddled with the thermostat. A low rattle filled the room as the heat kicked on, and Greed settled back on the sofa. 

After a moment of silence, Ling pulled himself off the couch and pulled on his jacket.

"Your present is in my car. I'll be right back," Ling said before he slipped out the door. He was only gone a few seconds before he trudged back in, swearing under his breath at the cold. 

Ling sat on the floor in front of the coffee table with Greed's present in his lap. Greed crossed the room and began pushing Ling's present across the floor. The box was heavy; maybe he had gone a _little_ overboard. When Ling looked away for a moment, Greed took the card off the top of the box and shoved it in his back pocket. It looked like he wasn't going to keep his promise to Riza after all. 

"Before I give you your gift," Ling said, a small frown tugging at his lips, "ummm... Russell's dog chewed your leather jacket... I'm sorry."

"Not your fault, can't control what a dog does." Greed told him. He was upset about the jacket, Ling gave it to him, and it _was_ one of his favorite things... There was nothing he could do about it now, though. Even if Greed knew that his jacket would get ruined the night he let Ling borrow it, he still would have given it to him. 

Ling held a neatly wrapped box out to Greed. He carefully removed the shiny rainbow wrapping paper and opened the box. 

"To replace the one that got ruined..." Ling explained, "Look at the back of it!!"

Greed turned the leather jacket over and examined the back. In the middle of the jacket, there was a green serpent chasing its own tail. Above it, embroidered in gold letters, was " _When I Die I'll Go To Heaven Because I Have Spent My Time In Hell_.” 

"Do you like it?" Ling asked, leaning forward to examine the expression on Greed's face. A light laugh left Greed's lips as he nodded.

"Of course!" Greed told him, laughing a little harder now, "I just- I can't believe you remembered me saying that! It was two years ago, and you were as drunk as I was!" 

Ling only offered a shrug and a slightly guilty smile in response. 

"Okay, open yours. Do the small one first, though." Greed instructed, motioning to the smaller present taped to the bigger box. 

Ling carefully removed the present and started unwrapping it, his eyes bright with excitement. Greed loved seeing him like that. That was an okay thing for a friend to think- _right?_

"My mom used to have this cookbook!" Ling exclaimed. He clutched the book to his chest and smiled at Greed. "Thank you!" 

"Don't thank me yet... open the other box."

Ling set to work opening the other box, groaning a little when he pulled the paper off, and the box was wrapped with duct tape. Greed flashed the most innocent smile he could muster at Ling and watched as he struggled with the tape. 

"Is that...?" Ling asked as he peered inside the box, "It is! A hot pot, and a Wok! Look at all of this! Greed, you didn't have to get me all of this! I could start my own restaurant with all of this!" 

"You should." 

Ling made a thoughtful sound and continued poking through the box, commenting about something every so often, never looking up at Greed. That wasn't like Ling at all. Out of the pair, Ling made the most eye contact.

Greed pulled the box out of the way and sighed when Ling moved his eyes to the carpet, not saying anything. 

"Ling, you okay?"

Ling didn't make a sound except for a small sniffle. He looked up at Greed with watery eyes, and with no hesitation, Ling leaned forward and pulled Greed into a hug. 

"Thank you, Greed. I... That means so much to me."

"You're welcome."

The rest of the morning passed peacefully, Ling poked and prodded at his new cookware, and Greed sent his standard "Merry X-Mas" texts to Ed, Winry, Alphonse, and Lan Fan. 

Before Greed was ready, it was almost time for him to go to Maes' for dinner. He stood from the couch and went into his room to dress in his 'Sunday Best,’ which was nothing more than the only pair of dress pants he owned and his least wrinkled button-down shirt.

After buttoning his collar and running his fingers through his hair, Greed decided he was ready, or as ready as he could be for Christmas with Maes and Gracia. It was always an event with them; the house decorated floor to ceiling with red and green. Greed didn't mind the fresh-from-the-oven cookies, though. 

Greed snagged his keys off his dresser and left the room. As he entered the living room, Ling sat up and looked Greed over.

"Why is your collar buttoned all the way? You look so stuffy like that- like you're going to a funeral."

"I am. It's for my sanity." 

Ling stood and crossed the room with a laugh, undoing a few of the buttons on Greed's shirt. His hands lingered a little longer on each button, except for the last one; Ling held onto it as he stared up at Greed. 

Greed couldn't think of anything to say, any way to stop what was happening. He _didn't_ want to stop what was happening, but he knew it couldn't. Yet, he found himself lost in Ling's eyes; it took all his willpower not to lean into his touch.

He needed to be Ling's friend. That was the role he was given, and that's what he was going to be. He was not about to ruin a relationship; he wasn't worth it. At the same time... Greed felt trapped, stuck between doing what he wanted to do and what he needed to do. It would be so easy to kiss Ling right then and there. All he'd have to do was lean forward...

Thankfully, Greed didn't have to make a choice. Outside, a horn honked three loud, jarring beeps, shattering the silence in the room. That second of clarity was all Greed needed; he stepped back from Ling and smoothed out his shirt.

"Pops is here," Greed told him, his voice sounded hoarse and distraught, though that could be his imagination, "I don't mind if you stay; just lock up once it gets dark, alright?"

Greed didn't hear a response as he pulled on his jacket. Maybe he didn't get one. The house was silent again as Greed balanced the mass of boxes and gift bags, most of them for Elicia. Once he managed to get out the door, he turned again to get one last look at Ling.

"Hey, Merry Christmas, pissant."

Greed closed the door and took a deep breath before walking to Maes' car. He could hear the Christmas music from his porch; this was going to be a fun ride. 

Once all the presents were in the car, and Maes nagged Greed enough to buckle his seat belt, they were on their way to Maes'. 

"How was your morning?" Maes asked him as he turned the music down. It was instant relief for Greed; he couldn't put into words how much he hated Christmas music. 

"It was fine. Ling and I exchanged presents; he got me this jacket."

"Oh, you saw Ling?! That's so good to hear!"

"Uh-huh, he stayed over last night."

" _What?!_ He did?!" Maes exclaimed, accidentally slamming on the brakes in his excitement. It was a good thing Greed put on his seatbelt after all. 

"Jesus! Watch the road, old man!"

"Sorry!"

The rest of the drive was quiet aside from Maes humming Christmas music under his breath. When they arrived at the house, Gracia and Elicia were waiting for them on the front porch.

"Big brother!" Elicia squealed as Greed got out of the car. He couldn't help but smile at her. It didn't matter what mood Greed was in; Elicia would always make it better. 

She got more excited as Greed and Maes pulled the gifts from the car and brought them into the house, setting them under the Christmas tree. The tree was obviously decorated by Elicia, there were no ornaments on the top half, and there were so many on the bottom that the branches were sagging under the weight. 

The rest of the house looked immaculate as always. Personalized stockings hung near the chimney, the model train chugging around the track that resided on the coffee table, lights and tinsel across the walls, and the familiar red and green Christmas pillows on the couch. 

Maes, Greed, and Elicia settled on the couches as Gracia moved in between the kitchen and living room as she cooked. Greed was all-too happy to listen to Elicia talk about whatever she was actually saying. Her words got lost in the high-pitched, excited babble as she spoke. Maes looked as delighted as Greed felt as they watched her twirl around and wave her hands excitedly.

"Alright, come on, everyone, it's time to eat!" Gracia called from the kitchen. Elicia challenged Greed to a race- so race they did. Once everyone was seated at the table and dishes had been handed out, everyone started eating. The first few minutes were quiet as always, and then the conversation started. It had been a while since Greed had seen any of them, so the questions were coming out rapid-fire. 

"How's work been, Greed?" Gracia asked him as she refilled his glass. 

"Fine," he answered with a shrug, "busy, I guess."

"Well, busy is good, isn't it?"

Greed nodded and sipped his drink, only to choke on it when Maes started speaking. 

"He said Ling stayed over last night! _And_ they exchanged presents this morning!" 

Gracia's face lit up at the announcement, and she clasped her hands together.

"Does that mean-"

" **_No!_ **No, it's not like that! Christ." Greed exclaimed, cutting her off. He looked down at his plate and sighed. "He's still dating that dude- Russell."

Greed didn't see how Gracia's face fell or the way her hands slowly moved back to her lap, but he could hear the disappointment in her voice. 

"Oh, well... it's still good you got to see him."

Greed nodded and cleared his plate before going outside. He needed some air. He wanted to have a good Christmas, but it was difficult when all he could think about right now was Ling with someone else. Something he shouldn't be thinking. He should be happy that Ling was happy- that's what he said to Riza, after all. But here he was, absolutely miserable on Christmas. 

Seconds after he lit his cigarette, Elicia made her way outside, bundled up tight in her coat and hat. On instinct, Greed held his cigarette higher, closer to his own head, so the smoke wouldn't go into Elicia's face. 

"Go back inside, 'licia. I'll be in soon, okay?"

"Why?" she questioned, shuffling her feet on the snowy porch. 

"Because it's cold out, and I'm smoking."

"But I want to stay out here with you!" she exclaimed, her voice bordering on a whine.

Greed sighed and put out his cigarette, leaving it in the ashtray Gracia kept out there for him. 

"Alright-" Greed started to say, but Elicia had thrown tiny handfuls of snow at him before he could finish. 

Greed whipped around and looked down at Elicia, a smirk forming over his lips. Her eyes widened as she realized what was about to happen. Greed scooped her up, trudged down the stairs, dropped her into a massive snow pile, and covered her with loose layers of snow. 

She was only in there for a moment before she wiggled herself out and rushed at his legs, succeeding in knocking him to the snowy ground. Elicia squealed in delight as Greed lifted her over his head and dropped her into the snow above him. He was out of breath from laughing so hard, but that didn't stop him from tossing one last handful of snow at her. 

Warm light illuminated the front yard as the door opened. Squinting into the light, Greed made out Maes and Gracia's silhouettes. Maes' arm wrapped lovingly around Gracia as they watched their kids play in the snow. 

"Hey, you two! Come on, it's present time!" Maes called. 

Elicia was up and inside before Greed could even start getting off the ground. Once standing, he wiped the snow from his clothes and went inside, grateful for the warm cup of cocoa put in his hands upon entry. 

Elicia was already poking through the presents when Greed and Gracia walked in; Maes settled in the armchair with his camera, ready to take pictures as the gifts were opened. Greed crossed the room and grabbed Maes' and Gracia's presents from the pile, leaving the remaining five- or was it six- presents for Elicia. 

"Here, it isn't much, but Merry Christmas." Greed told them as he handed them the gifts.

"Oh, Greed, you didn't have to do that!" Gracia exclaimed, softly shaking her head. 

"You really didn't have to do that! Not necessary!" Maes added, setting his camera down on his lap. 

"It is necessary," Greed told them as he sat on the couch, "you guys have done so much for me, it'd be stupid not to give you a present on Christmas."

Maes started to say something but closed his mouth when Gracia shook her head. Gently, Maes put his gift on the floor and picked his camera back up; it seemed that Elicia had run out of patience and had begun removing the wrapping paper from one of the gifts. 

The next few minutes were a flurry of wrapping paper as Elicia opened things from Greed, Maes and Gracia, and Santa. Greed only stopped watching her long enough to open the presents Gracia slid into his lap. 

Inside one box was a handpainted frame and a picture of Maes, Gracia, Elicia, and Greed. It was taken a little under a year ago, at the aquarium. Greed had gotten tickets for all of them for Elicia's birthday. That picture was the only time her eyes strayed away from the fish. The feelings of that day were perfectly captured in that picture, happy smiles, and affection.

The second box contained a sweater. It was simple, most of it black save for the stripe of maroon that ran across the chest. Gracia must have hand-knit it; Greed could practically feel the love in the yarn; he couldn't wait to wear it once and then have Ling steal it- just like he did with the rest of his sweaters. 

Once Elicia had thanked everyone for the presents, Maes allowed her to open one of them to play with. While she was occupied, Maes and Gracia opened their gifts from Greed. He watched anxiously as Gracia opened hers, he knew she would like it, but that didn't stop the relentless thought in his head that she might not. 

As she pulled the tissue paper away, she smiled at Greed, and his nervousness vanished. She liked it. 

"A new pie dish! Thank you, Greed. Oh! And you engraved it!" she exclaimed while running her fingers over the glass. "Open yours now, dear!" she added, looking over at Maes. 

"Get the camera first." Greed whispered to her. Knowing Maes, he'd start crying instantly. He had no doubt that he got a good gift for him. 

"My push knives! Is _that_ where they went?!" 

Greed offered a slightly guilty smile and pointed towards the handles while motioning for Gracia to pick up the camera. When Maes looks down at the handles as instructed, Greed could see the emotional journey on his face as he goes through it. Confusion, understanding, and then so much love, his eyes started to water. 

"Greed... I... I don't know what to say." Maes said as he held the knives side by side and examined them before carefully smoothing his thumbs over the fingerprints. "Thank you."

He set the knives back in the box and placed them on the table before he stood and pulled Greed to his feet and hugged him, despite Greed's protests. Eventually, he accepted his fate and hugged Maes back; that thankfully ended the hug rather quickly. 

The night stretched on for a while longer before it was time for Elicia to go to bed. She put up a big fuss like she did every Christmas and insisted that Greed put her to bed. Like always, he was more than happy to oblige. 

After helping Elicia into her pajamas, Greed tucked her in and pulled a random book from the shelf near her bed. When he turned to face her again, she wasn't in her bed. She was pulling something from a dresser drawer. 

"Elicia, why are you out of bed? It's time to go to sleep." 

"I know!" she chirped as she shut the dresser, "I almost forgoted about your present!"

"You almost _forgot_ about my present." he corrected as he sat on the edge of her bed, pushing the pink canopy out of the way. 

"Uh-huh! I almost forgot about your present!" she held the paper out to him and then climbed into bed. "Merry Christmas, big brother!"

Greed unfolded the paper and smiled down on it; once he made sense of the jittery lines, he smiled even more. 

"Is that me and you?" he asked, turning to face her. Elicia nodded happily and snuggled into her pillow. "And what are we picking? Strawberries?"

"Uh-huh! We went in the summertime. Remember? Daddy said we couldn't eat a bunch, but we sneaked them anyways!"

"I do remember that. Thank you, 'licia."

Greed folded the paper as carefully as he could and opened the book; by the time he was a few pages in, Elicia was fast asleep. 'The Polar Express' always did that, without fail. Greed read it to her every Christmas, and they never made it more than ten pages each year. He took his time tucking her in all the way and then returned to the living room. 

"Do you want me to bring you home now, Greed?" Gracia asked him as he walked into the room. She was snuggled in Maes' lap in the armchair, looking at all the pictures he had taken throughout the evening. 

"He can leave _after_ he has a drink with his old man!" Maes exclaimed before Greed can answer, "It's tradition!"

Greed really wanted to go home and sleep, but he couldn't argue with tradition- especially if it included drinking. Greed settled on the couch and watched as Maes went into the kitchen; the distinct sound of glasses clinking together filled the room, almost sounding like part of the Christmas song that was quietly playing in the background. 

Maes returned quickly after, balancing three stemless wine glasses in his hands. The liquid inside looked creamy, and each glass was garnished with star anise and a stick of cinnamon. 

"Chai-spiced White Russians! Vodka, coffee-flavored liqueur, half-and-half, and chai!" Maes announced as he handed out the glasses. 

Greed took a cautious first sip; he wasn't fond of cocktails, not because they were 'girly.' He just preferred his drinks straight. Deciding it wasn't entirely awful, Greed took another sip.

The night wore on, and Greed struggled to keep the conversation off work, and Ling, two things he did not want to talk about right now. He'd gotten pretty good at derailing both of those topics, all he had to do was bring up Elicia, and Maes would go on until he forgot what they had been talking about. Gracia didn't find it very funny, but Greed definitely did. 

"Oh, here! This is for Ling. Tell him Merry Christmas from all of us." Gracia told Greed as he and Maes got ready to go. She was holding a neatly wrapped box in her hands. The bright yellow paper instantly reminded Greed of Ling, not just because it was a color he often wore, either. It made him feel happy; it was too easy for him to picture Ling's cheerful demeanor and how his eyes lit up when he was excited-

No. Nope. Stop it. Greed couldn't think about Ling like that. They were friends and only friends. Nothing more, and nothing less, as much as it hurt to admit it. 

"Thanks, I'll give it to him when I see him next."

The drive back to Greed's house was long and silent. Maes didn't even bother turning on the radio. For once, Greed missed the Christmas music that usually filled the silence in the car. Now he was only left with the thoughts in his head. 

"Thanks for the ride, Pops." Greed said as he got out of the car, "Merry Christmas." 

"Merry Christmas, Greed."

Greed walked up the front path in the dark; he forgot to turn the light on when he left. Once he unlocked the door, he entered the house; the living room lamp was still turned on. He took his time pulling off his jacket and hanging it on the hook by the door and putting his keys and Ling's present on the small table near the door. 

"Ling? I'm back!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! I’m broke as hell and unable to work so I’ve decided to open up writing commissions so I can pay my bills. (Rent, phone, and credit card) I know times are tough for all of us, but if you can spare a few dollars I'd really, really appreciate it!
> 
> Please check out the link below if you're interested in commissioning me, or would like to donate some money!
> 
> https://idiotwerewolf.tumblr.com/post/638361574540804096/idiotwerewolf-hi-all-im-broke-as-hell-and


	5. but a night like this is beggin' to pull me apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When his best friend seemingly vanishes from his life, Greed is left struggling to pick up the pieces- thankfully, Winry and Ed are there to help. In their own way, that is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um, spoiler warnings for the walking dead if anyone still watches/isn't caught up with that show?

New Year's Eve had long passed without a word from Ling. Greed hadn't seen or heard from him since Christmas, his present from Gracia, and Maes was still sitting by the door. 

He went into work earlier and stayed later to fill the void in his life now that Ling had seemingly vanished from it. His phone showed no new notifications whenever he checked it- well, no notifications from Ling. There were plenty from Maes that went unanswered until he called. 

Greed sat on the couch, a beer in one hand and his phone in the other. A playlist Ling had made for him years ago filled the silence in the house. He was making this so hard on himself, and he wasn't sure why. Maybe he felt like he deserved it. Greed set his beer on the table and sent another text to Ling that would probably go unanswered. 

**Greed- December 26:** hey. you have a present here from maes and gracia.

**Greed- January 3:** i saw a dog in a tuxedo today. **[attachment: one image]**

**Greed- February 15:** hey. i haven't heard from you in a while. is everything okay?

**Greed- 6:42:** if i did something to upset you i'm sorry.

Greed locked his phone and dropped it on the couch next to him, only to immediately pick it up when a message lit up the screen.

**Pipsqueak- 6:43:** Drinks with Win and me? We can be there in ten minutes. 

**Greed- 6:43:** i'm good.

**Pipsqueak- 6:43:** Too bad. We're already on the way. 

**Greed- 6:43:** ugh. fine. 

Greed stood from the couch and went into his room to make a poor attempt to look less miserable than he was. He pulled off his work shirt and slid on the sweater Gracia had made him for Christmas; it was the first time he wore it... It didn't feel right. He felt like there was a reason he shouldn't be wearing it. Sighing, he took it off, dropped it to the floor, and settled on a white t-shirt and his leather jacket. 

When Ed and Winry pulled up, Greed was outside smoking. He quickly put out his cigarette and got into the backseat. 

"Thanks for picking me up."

"It's no problem, Greed!" Winry responded as she drove away from his house; her eyes briefly flicked to him in the rearview mirror before returning to the road. 

"Why don't you get your license?" Ed asked. He turned slightly in his seat to look at Greed as he spoke. 

"I have one. I just don't have the money for a car."

"You have a house! A _whole house!_ How can you not afford a car??" 

"I live by myself and only make so much money, Ed. I'd rather have my own house than a car."

Ed closed his mouth and turned around. Greed looked out the window as they drove into an unfamiliar part of the city. They must be going to a different bar, that was fine with Greed- he needed something to break up the neverending consistency that had become his life. 

When they got out of the car, Ed motioned towards the bar, and Winry quickly followed after him. Greed took his time, managing to smoke half a cigarette before reaching the door. He flashed his ID to the bouncer standing at the door and then went inside. 

Ed and Winry hadn't gotten far. They were still trying to decide on a place to sit when Greed caught up to them and settled into one of the booths they were eyeing. 

"So, how have things been, Greed? How was your Christmas?" Winry asked once they all had their drinks. 

"It was fine," Greed said into his glass, "how about you guys?"

"It was good- rowdy as usual- but what more can I expect?"

"That's just what happens when you put that bastard and me in a room together," Ed added with a smirk somewhere between fond and annoyed. 

The night went on, and lighthearted conversation and drinks replaced the void in Greed's heart and wiped away the emotions he was desperately trying not to feel. That was until they finished playing darts and were back in their seats. 

"Hey, how's Ling?" Winry asked him, leaning over her drink to look Greed in the eyes. 

"How the hell would I know?"

"Hey man-"

"Sorry..." Greed said, cutting Ed off before he could get riled up, "I'm sorry. I haven't seen or heard from in a while."

"Have you tried texting or calling him?"

"Yeah, I sent him a few texts, but he never answered, and he never answers his phone calls. You know how he is, Ed."

"Maybe his phone is on silent?" Winry asked. It was clear she was trying her best to smooth over the tension that had settled around the table- mainly around Greed. 

"Since Christmas?"

"Oh... I'm-"

Greed shook his head, not wanting to hear any apologies or sympathy. It was his own fault this happened, he had multiple chances to tell Ling how he felt, and he didn't. Forcing a smile to his face, he looked up at Winry and Ed. 

"We never got to finish our game of pool last time."

"Then let's finish it!" Winry exclaimed, accepting the distraction. It was evident she was also ready to finish kicking Greed's ass. The game was tight, just like last time. Winry was beating Greed by four points; Ed was watching from the sidelines with a grin on his face. It was fun- until Ed and Winry started acting weird. Ed kept looking at something behind Greed, and Winry was trying her best to keep his attention on the pool table. 

"What are you guys looking at?" Greed asked them. They both went pale and started spouting excuses. Greed huffed and turned around. 

Ling. They were looking at Ling. He shouldn't have turned around. Greed was clutching the pool cue so hard he thought it was going to snap under his grip. He couldn't seem to move as he watched Ling lean in and kiss Russell. He _wanted_ to move- to turn and walk out of the bar, but he couldn't. 

All the blood drained from Greed's body when Ling pulled away from Russell and looked directly at him. Recognition slowly fell over Ling's face as he looked at Greed. 

Greed was finally able to look away when Ling opened his mouth to say something from across the bar. He dropped the pool cue and left. Greed took a deep breath, lit a cigarette, and started walking. He wasn't sure where he was going; he just knew he _was._

Greed was halfway down the street when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He ignored it and kept walking; it was dark, he was closer to drunk than sober, and he wanted to go home. 

His phone kept going off; he was seconds from throwing it when a car sped by him and screeched to a halt. Greed tried to walk past it, but before he could even make it past the passenger side back door, the window was rolled down, and Ed was leaning across the car and out the window. 

"Hey!" Ed shouted as he grabbed Greed by the arm, "Greed! Just... just stop for a second."

"Why?" Greed demanded; he tried to keep walking, but Ed had a good grip on him. 

"Because it's dark, you're drunk, you're wearing all black, you don't know where you're going, do I need to keep going? Because I can."

Greed shook his head and sighed. Forcing himself to relax, he slowly turned his head to look at Ed. Wide, panicked and concerned eyes met Greed's and made him feel even worse. 

"Stop looking at me like that." Greed muttered, "Please."

"Stop looking at you like what? Like I'm concerned?" 

Greed nodded and looked away from Ed. He thought about walking off again now that Ed's grip had loosened, but there was no way he'd be able to get away from Ed, not while he was in a car. 

"I will if you get in the car."

"...Okay."

Slowly, Ed let Greed go and sat in the car the right way, patiently waiting for him to get into the car. After hesitating for a moment, Greed got in the car and stared at the dashboard. Everything he had been feeling was gone. Now... now he just felt numb. 

"...Where's Winry?"

"Back at the bar talking to Ling, he-"

"Don't." Greed told him, shaking his head. He didn't want to hear it... he didn't want to _feel_ it. 

"Are you okay?" Ed asked. He leaned towards Greed a little bit, trying to look at him head-on. Greed shook his head. He was far from okay. This was all his fault. The words seemed to echo in his head. _Your fault. Your fault. Your fault. Your fau-_

"...Do you want to talk about it?"

"No... Can you just take me home... please?"

Ed didn't say anything for a few minutes, but, eventually, he sighed and started driving. The drive across town was silent except for the steady hum of the engine.

"I'm sorry." Greed said as they pulled up to his house, "Can't go anywhere with me without something bad happening. Heh- maybe... maybe I'm cursed." 

"Stop talkin' like that. You're not cursed."

"Sure feels like it."

Greed got out of the car before Ed could say anything and went inside. He didn't bother to turn any lights on as he walked through the house, not until he got to his room, anyway. 

He flicked on the light, kicked his shoes off, and dropped everything on his dresser. Greed looked at himself in the mirror and recoiled slightly. The bags under his eyes were proof of how little he'd slept, his face pale and sunken in, the dull glossed-over look in his eyes made him look as lifeless as he felt. He looked awful- like he could drop dead any second. How long had he looked like this? Since Christmas? When did things- when did _he_ get so bad?

Greed reared back his hand, ready to punch the mirror, but stopped himself seconds before his hand collided with the glass. Hurting himself wasn't the answer. Maes would never forgive him for that, and Ling wouldn't either- if he managed to find out. He clenched his fist in an attempt to get his hands to stop shaking and turned away.

Greed pulled off his jacket, letting it fall to the floor before he fell onto the bed, hoping to get some sleep before work. By the time he had to get up for work, he had slept maybe three hours and was utterly miserable. No amount of coffee could help- and he tried. Greed pulled on the first shirt he grabbed- which ended up being the sweater Gracia made for him- and rushed out the door to get to work. 

Once he did arrive at work- five minutes later than he wanted with a coffee in hand- Greed sat at his desk and started working. For the first time in the last few months, he actually wanted to leave as soon as he could. 

With a yawn, Greed set to work, barely keeping his eyes open as he typed "Break My Heart Again" into the title box. The words came easy to him, even easier when he thought about the night prior. 

_"Hey you, I'm just now leaving_.

_Can I come around later on this evening?_

_Or do you need time?_

_Yes, of course, that's fine_.

 _Hey you, good morning_.

_I'm sure you're busy now, why else would you ignore me?_

_Or do you need space?_

_You can't help it if your mind has changed"_

Greed held his breath as he worked. He couldn't let his feelings get the better of him right now- not at work. He stuffed every emotion deep inside him, the exact thing Maes had told him not to do, and kept typing. Greed wasn't sure if he was hitting his keyboard too hard or if the clack of the keys just sounded that loud to him. 

" _So go ahead and break my heart again_.

_Leave me wonderin' why the hell I ever let you in_

_Are you the definition of insanity?_

_Or am I? Oh, it must be nice_

_To love someone who lets you break them twice._ "

Greed's coffee was cold by the time he remembered to drink it. He tossed it in the trash and picked up his phone, the battery was on 10%, and there were ten unopened messages from Ed and Winry, all from last night, except for one from Ed. 

**Pipsqueak- 9:18:** Hey, are you alright after last night?

**Greed- 12:33:** how much do i owe you for drinks?

**Pipsqueak- 12:33:** I don't give a damn about the drinks! Are you alright?

**Greed- 12:34:** how much do i owe you?

**Pipsqueak- 12:35:** I don't know- like $14? I'm not worried about it, though, so do NOT send me the money. 

Greed sent Ed the money, dropped his phone on the desk, and finished his work. He wasted some time doing meaningless paperwork before walking out of the building and directly passed the bus. 

Walking all the way home _might_ have been a bad idea. Greed could barely stay standing as he unlocked his door almost two hours later, freezing cold and exhausted. He closed and locked the door behind him and kicked off his shoes. He made it to the couch with less than a second to spare; as soon as his body hit the cushions, he was asleep. 

* * *

The weeks went by at a torturous speed, and by the time March was almost over, Greed had shot down numerous invitations for parties and outings from Ed and Winry. So many, in fact that they had started breaking into his house. If Alphonse tagged along, he always waited on the porch for Greed to come home from work. 

"Alright, you guys have to stop this." Greed announced as he walked into the living room and saw Ed and Winry on the couch.

"Why?" Ed questioned, turning in his seat to look at Greed. 

"Because you're breaking into my house! Repeatedly!!" 

"Come out with us, and we'll stop."

"No," Greed said before going into the kitchen and grabbing a beer from the fridge. When he returned to the living room, Ed and Winry were sitting around the coffee table, dealing out cards. "Guys, seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously!" Ed shot back as he set the rest of the cards on the table, "Come sit, we're playing Rummy."

"Why can't you guys leave me alone?" Greed grumbled as he sat in between Winry and Ed. There wasn't any venom behind his words, but he wished there was. He was just so... so _tired._

"Because you've been alone for long enough, Greed," Winry told him sternly. She looked down at her cards quickly and then back at Greed. "What kind of friends would we be if we let you be by yourself?"

"Ones that took the hint and didn't break into my house." 

"There's no fun in that- your move, Win."

Greed ended up beating Ed and Winry _several_ times because Ed kept demanding rematches. After the fifth or sixth game, Greed put all the cards back in the box and set them on the table. 

"We played cards- now go home already."

" _Alright, alright._ We'll go- _after_ the pizza gets here."

"...When did you order pizza, Ed?"

"When you went to the bathroom!" 

"...Of course."

Greed sat on the couch and rubbed at his face. He still didn't understand why Ed and Winry were doing this. What did it matter to them if he was alone?

"Why are you guys doing this? Like _actually_ doing this?"

Winry and Ed glanced at each other before Winry got off the floor and sat next to Greed. She put her hand on one of Greed's and sighed. 

"Because we're worried about you, Greed. You don't go out anymore, you're always working, you haven't been answering your phone, and I can tell you haven't been sleeping or eating enough."

"Yeah," Ed said, a melancholy smile on his face, "we want to make sure you're okay. I know you've been going through some shit and that it sucks, but we're here for you- you don't have to go through this alone."

Greed was about to respond, there was a knock on the door. Ed hopped off the floor, saying something about pizza, and left the room. 

"...Thank you, Winry."

Winry nodded and moved to make room for Ed on the couch as he came back in with the pizza. He sat in between Winry and Greed and set the pizza on the coffee table, flipping over the lid. 

"We're having a party next week, and you're coming," Ed told Greed in between bites. Despite his mouth being full of food, the matter of fact tone came across very clearly. 

"No, I'm not."

"Fine- we'll bring the party to you then."

"...When's the party?"

* * *

Greed was waiting outside for Paninya to pick him up; she was the only one who could give him a ride to Ed's party. He still didn't want to go, but he knew that Ed and Winry would follow through on their threat and bring the party to his house. 

"Get out- I'm driving." Greed told her as she pulled up.

"What?? Why- what's wrong with my driving?!"

"You drive too fast- and that's saying something coming from me."

"It's not my fault I can't feel the pedals! Double amputee- remember??" 

"You can see the speedometer- can't you?"

Paninya muttered something under her breath, got out, and into the passenger seat. Greed took a minute to adjust the seat and mirrors before he started driving. 

"Wait- this isn't your car." Greed said suddenly, "Where _is_ your car- did you crash it again?" he glanced at her quickly before returning his eyes to the road. 

"This is Mr. Dominic's car; he's letting me borrow it while Winry tunes mine. I did _not_ crash it- this time."

Greed nodded and continued to drive, listening to Paninya as she went on about black bears. He wasn't sure how they got on the topic, but he didn't mind. 

"Did you know that black bears- or Ursus Americanus- are the smallest of bear species in North America? They actually estimated that there are 600,000 black bears in North America- did you know they can run 40 to 50 kilometers an hour? Isn't that crazy?! Do you want to know the coolest thing about them??"

Greed nodded but didn't say anything, so Paninya wouldn't lose her train of thought. 

"Normally, they weigh between 180 to 400 pounds. But the heaviest black bear _ever_ weighed roughly 900 pounds! 900 pounds!! Can you imagine that?! Being out in the woods and coming across a _900-pound_ black bear?"

"I mean- what do you even do in that situation?" Greed asked, laughing slightly. 

"Well, there isn't much you can do. It _is_ a 900-pound bear, but I guess you _should_ make yourself look as big as possible by spreading your arms- but I don't think it would help too much."

"Probably not," Greed agreed, "I think I'd just accept my fate, honestly."

Paninya laughed a little and shifted in her seat, gently tapping her feet against the floor. 

"I like hanging out with you- you know that?"

"You do? Why?" Greed asked, quickly glancing at her with an eyebrow quirked in confusion. 

"Because you're a good listener, and you let me ramble."

"It's not rambling... you're just- _hey!_ Watch the road, _asshole!_ " Greed shouted out the window as a car swerved into their lane. Once they were safe again, Greed looked over at Paninya and gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry. Like I was _trying_ to say- it's not rambling, you're talking about something you're passionate about."

"See! That's another reason right there- you're always so supportive!!" Paninya said with a grin. She laughed when she saw the confused expression on Greed's face but didn't press the subject. 

"Oh! Good- you actually came!" Ed laughed when Greed and Paninya walked inside. Paninya promptly scampered away to find Lan Fan, leaving Ed and Greed by the door. 

"Well, it's not like you gave me much of a choice." Greed grumbled as he brushed past Ed and went into the kitchen to pour himself a drink.

"I know! I'm the worst, aren't I?" Ed asked as he followed behind Greed. 

"Yes," Greed said into his cup, "you are. Who's here?"

"Um, Lan-Fan, Paninya- obviously- Al, me, Win... a few other people _might_ stop by."

"Oh, cool. No Roy and Riza?"

"No- thank god. I get enough of him at work."

Greed rolled his eyes and followed Ed into the living room. Winry, Al, and Paninya all smiled at Greed when he walked in; Lan-Fan shot him a look and returned her focus to her phone. 

Shrugging slightly, Greed sat on the couch between Paninya and Al and sighed. Maybe this night wouldn't be too bad. 

"Huh? What's up, 'Ninya?" Greed asked when she tugged on his jacket. 

"Can... can I sit closer to you? Like how I sit with Lan-Fan?" she asked, slightly embarrassedly. "She's kinda grumpy tonight," she added with a harsh whisper. Greed snorted and nodded, moving his arm to the back of the couch so Paninya could tuck herself into his side.

"Thanks..." she said quietly, "I like the pressure- makes me feel more comfortable."

"Don't worry about it, and you don't have to explain it either- alright?"

Paninya nodded and pressed a little more into Greed's side, the tension in her shoulders slowly easing. Greed turned his attention to Ed and Al as they bickered. When Ed proved Al wrong, the whole room went silent, besides for Greed, who spit his drink back in his cup in surprise. 

There was a collective sigh of relief when the front door opened, distracting Ed from gloating and potentially ruining the night. Everyone greeted whoever had walked in, and when Greed turned his head to do the same, he faltered for a moment, unable to do anything except weakly waving at Ling as he entered the room. 

Greed sent a look to Ed and then turned to look down at Paninya, who had rested her head to Greed's shoulder, pressing down slightly. He smiled a little and nodded, indicating that he was okay- lord, what a lie that was. He wasn't expecting to see Ling tonight, and he had a sneaking suspicion Ed set the whole thing up. 

Paninya smiled back at him and relaxed slightly but kept her head on Greed's shoulder. She waved at Ling as he walked further into the room and sat on the floor next to Lan-Fan, who was occupying the red armchair in the corner. 

"Alright, now that everyone's here- I propose we play Two Truths and a Lie," Ed said with a smile, "I'll go first..."

"Wait- can we go over the rules?" Paninya asked. She lifted her head from Greed's shoulder and looked hopefully at Ed. 

"Sure- you say two things that are true and one that's a lie, and everyone has to guess what's the lie."

"Thanks, Ed."

"You're welcome- now... I got 1500 on my SATs, I once spent three days in the library, and I know someone who took down a bear in the middle of winter."

"The bear thing is definitely fake- there's no way that's possible," Winry muttered from her seat. Everyone nodded in agreement, except for Alphonse. He obviously knew the truth and wasn't going to give it away. 

"I only spent _two_ days at the library."

"There is no way the bear thing is true!" Lan-Fan exclaimed, she flicked her eyes between Ed and Al. 

"I swear it is! It was mine and Al's old martial arts teacher. I can call her if you want."

"Ed, _please_ don't bother teacher for that!"

" _Fine,_ who's next? ...Greed?"

"I have perfect pitch, I've never broken a bone, and I have a twin sister." 

"Okay... all of those sound fake," Ed told him. He motioned to Ling, who was nodding in agreement, "See?! Even Ling agrees, and he knows more about you than everyone else combined!"

"Less than I thought, apparently," Ling added quietly. 

"Okay, but which one is the lie?" Lan-Fan asked flatly, her eyes boring into him as she spoke. 

"Hmm, I'll leave that for you guys to figure out."

Everyone started protesting at the same time, which made Greed laugh a little- how he'd missed this chaos. He scanned the room and then nodded to Alphonse, silently telling him to take his turn before carefully taping Paninya's shoulder to get her to move. Once she did, he snagged his drink off the table and went outside. 

He stood on Ed's back porch with his hands dangling limply over the railing, and his face turned up to look at the moon. Greed's only company was the moth fluttering by the light and the tiny, silver stream of smoke flowing from the end of his cigarette. He sighed when the door slid open, and Ed came outside; he could tell from the slight difference in the steps- one foot was heavier than the other. 

"Why didn't you tell me Ling was coming?"

"Because I knew you wouldn't come if you knew," Ed answered as he leaned on the railing next to Greed, "you guys can't keep avoiding each other."

"Avoiding each other?" Greed asked, his voice was bitter and confused, "I'm not avoiding him- _he's_ avoiding _me._ I tried to talk to him, Ed... I can show you the texts if you want. He made it very clear that he doesn't want anything to do with me- I just accepted it."

"Doesn't want anything to do with you?"

When Greed nodded, Ed actually laughed. 

"That's not the truth, Greed," Ed shook his head and let out one short, dry laugh, "only _you_ can find out what it is, though. Believe me- I've tried, and all I know is that Ling wasn't going to come tonight, but as soon as I said you were coming tonight his schedule opened," he snaps his fingers, "just like that." 

"Even if I find out the truth, won't this just hurt even more?" 

"There's only one way to find out- and you really need to. You can't keep doing this to yourself, and you can't keep doing this to _Ling._ " Ed told him with a sigh, "It's destroying both of you." 

"It's not destroying him- just me."

"Again, that's not the truth."

"I know- I just want it to be." Greed muttered. He shook his head and turned to look at Ed. There was no point in talking about this anymore, and Greed could really use a distraction. "Let's go get drunk." 

Ed hesitated for a moment before nodding and going back inside, holding the door open for Greed as he followed. The living room was rowdy; they had obviously missed something while outside. Greed fixed himself a new drink and followed Ed into the living room. 

Paninya and Ling had switched places, and Ed, being the little shit he was, took the only other seat, leaving Greed with no other place to sit except for next to Ling. Greed lowered himself onto the couch and turned his attention to Paninya, who was ranting about something.

"Don't even get me _started_ on the inaccuracies! Good god!" 

She was already started. 

"First- Shane dies MUCH earlier in the comics; he never even makes it to Hershel's farm. And speaking of Hershel!! He's much more violent and has _way_ more kids. _And his farm!!!_ Hershel's farm is _overrun_ in the show, forcing the Greenes to leave it behind, but in the comics, Hershel kicks everyone out after threatening Rick's life!!" Paninya exclaimed, flexing her hands as she spoke, "It's not until _months_ later when Rick finds the prison and gets everything secured that they go back to Hershel's farm and invite him and his family to the prison..."

"...Hey," Ling said quietly, pulling Greed's attention away from Paninya, "how have you been?"

Greed flicked his eyes to Ed, who gave him a quick thumbs-up before looking back at Ling. Well, not _at_ Ling, but at the space above his shoulder. 

"Busy... works, been well... busy. You?"

"About the same- classes at the dojo have been filling up fast."

Greed nodded and drained his cup, praying to whatever god was listening to give him strength because he was going to need it. 

"Gonna go get another drink. Want me to grab you one?"

"Please," Ling said, nodding his head as he held out his cup for Greed to take. 

Greed took his time making Ling's drink, partially because it took him longer than he'd like to admit to remember how Ling liked his drink mixed and partially because he needed a moment to collect himself. He could care less about his own drink, dumping whatever bottles his hands touched into his plastic cup. He took a tentative sip and shrugged; he didn't immediately throw up or choke, so as far as he was concerned, it was drinkable. 

Greed handed Ling his drink and sat down on the couch again; Paninya was still talking about The Walking Dead; he caught the word 'prisoners' and 'so freaking inaccurate' before Ling started speaking to him again. 

"Hey- remember that song I was telling you about? The Ingrid Michaelson one?"

Greed's stomach hit the floor. Slowly, he nodded and sipped his drink. Of all times to bring that song up, it _had_ to be now? Greed wasn't sure if he could handle hearing about the song or the memories he'd sewn into the lyrics, but he was going to try. 

"I heard it for the first time a while ago, and I completely forgot to tell you! It was _so_ good! The music was astounding, and the _lyrics!_ " he quickly cut himself off and looked at his hands, "Sorry, I could go on about that song for _hours._ "

"That good, huh?" the words caught in his throat. He tried to smile when Ling nodded, but it felt wrong, and he could tell it looked wrong too. 

They slipped into silence, Ling busy with something on his phone, and Greed contently watching the tense card game between Winry, Ed, Lan-Fan, and Al. He wasn't sure where Paninya went. 

"Hey-" Ling started to say, he got cut off when a set of keys hit Greed in the shoulder. 

"Greed! Are you ready to go?" Paninya asked from the doorway. Greed reached behind him and grabbed the keys, frowning slightly. 

"Yeah- I guess. I'll meet you outside- okay?"

Paninya nodded, said goodbye to everyone, and went out the door. Greed waved goodbye to everyone as he stood, setting his half-full cup on the table.

"Before I go... what were you going to say?"

"Oh- it wasn't anything important," Ling answered, waving his hand dismissively. 

"Uh- okay. Well, I better get going." Greed before making his way out of the room. He paused in the doorway and turned back around. "Hey, Ling- it was really good to see you again."

He didn't wait for Ling to respond before we walked back outside and almost directly into Paninya. 

"Don't stand so close to the door, Paninya. I almost smacked you in the face with the door."

"Whoops- sorry!" Paninya exclaimed as she stepped away, slipping on the icy slush on the porch. She threw her arms out, windmilling wildly as she tried to steady herself. Greed caught her by the arm, right before she fell, and hauled her to her feet. Once she was steady again, he let her go and narrowed his eyes when he saw how badly she was shivering. 

"Where's your coat?" he asked, already in the process of taking his own off. 

"I didn't bring one..." she said, scratching the back of her head. She jumped and let out a small surprised sound when Greed tossed his coat at her. "Oh- thanks!" she chirped as she pulled the coat from her head, revealing her gentle smile. 

"You're welcome. Now let's go," Greed told her, tossing the keys at her, "You have to drive though, I'm not driving drunk with you in the car."

"You know..." Paninya said after they had been driving for a while, "you're not very greedy."

"Huh...?"

"I mean- that's your name, isn't it? Greed?"

"Yeah. That's my name," he told her with a sigh. He turned his head and looked out the window, not really wanting to have this conversation right now. 

"I don't know why you're named that because you're not greedy. At all. You're very nice. I think you should have a nice name."

"That's... that's just what my father called me instead of my real name."

"Maes?!" Paninya demanded, slamming on the breaks in what Greed was pretty sure was anger.

"God, Paninya! Watch the breaks!" Greed groaned as his knees slammed into the dashboard, "And no, my _real_ dad- if you want to call him that. I don't know what my real name is. He wouldn't tell me."

"Oh..." Paninya said quietly. She mumbled something under her breath and started driving again. 

"I can give you a new name!" she exclaimed suddenly, "I'm great at picking names!"

"That's alright," Greed said with a small laugh; he couldn't help it. She made that joke all the time, and it cracked him up without fail. "Thank you, though."

When they pulled up at Greed's house, Paninya put the car in park and gave him his jacket back. She moved to buckle her seatbelt again but stopped and reached across the car to hug Greed. 

"Oh- right," she said, instantly pulling away when Greed tensed under her touch, "I'm supposed to ask if I can hug. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, 'Ninya... I'm just not much of a hugger."

Paninya nodded and buckled her seatbelt, her goodnight cut off by a yawn. Greed waved and got out of the car. He waited for her to drive off before going into his house. The moment the door shut behind him, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Thinking it was Ed already complaining that he'd gone home, he chose to ignore it until he was settled and even more unwilling to leave the house again. Greed kicked his shoes off, locked the door and went into his room, falling face-first into his bed and staying that way as he processed the night.

He wasn’t expecting to see Ling and he couldn’t tell how he felt about it, especially after the last time they had seen each other. And the comment he’d made at the party! Was Greed really that closed off to the person he considered his best friend?! Had it always been like that? He wasn’t sure why he was asking himself a question he already knew the answer to. _Keep your friends close, and your secrets under lock and key._ He’d lived that way since he was a kid, and he’d tried hard to not live that way anymore, but it seemed he hadn’t been trying hard enough. Maybe that was why Ling had been ignoring him. Maybe he was tired of constantly living in the dark, especially when he was so open with Greed. 

“I’m gonna block him if he starts blowing my shit up…” he muttered into the mattress as his phone went off for the third time. He rolled onto his back and shifted rather uncomfortably to get his phone out of his pocket, only to drop it directly on his face when he saw the messages were from Ling. 

“Ah, you bitch!” He tossed his phone across the bed and rubbed at his nose and then at the tears that had formed in his eyes. Once the pain subsided, he picked his phone back up and unlocked the screen. 

**Ling- 10:30:** Hey… It was really nice to see you tonight.

**Ling- 10:35:** Hello? ┬┴┬┴┤(･_├┬┴┬┴ 

**Ling- 10:40:** Greed?

**Greed- 10:40:** oh, sorry... thought you were ed yelling at me for leaving the party.

**Ling- 10:40:** Understandable. 

**Ling- 10:41:** Anyways… It was nice to see you again!

**Greed- 10:41:** your present from maes and gracia is still at my place.

**Ling- 10:43:** Oh yeah!

**Ling- 10:43:** I saw your message about that!

**Ling- 10:44:** (´～｀ヾ) Sorry about that… 

Greed locked his phone and stared at the ceiling for a moment. Ling had seen his messages and chose to ignore him. He’d known that was what was happening all along, but now that he was directly confronted with it… It hurt more than he had expected. He wasn’t sure what to do or say, his head was even more of a mess now. Hesitantly, he picked his phone back up, typed and deleted several messages asking if he’d done something wrong, or if he’d upset Ling somehow, but didn’t have the nerve to hit send. 

**Greed- 10:48:** i can drop it off to you if you want.

**Greed- 10:48:** or i can leave it with ed- you’ll probably see him again before me.

**Ling- 10:50:** No, I’ll come pick it up from you! Cut out the middleman and all that! (⌒・⌒)ゞ

**Greed- 10:50:** that works.

**Greed- 10:50:** i should probably go to sleep… goodnight, Ling.  
  
---


	6. did someone break your heart inside? (you're in ruins)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bad day turns into a dinner party from hell. Things come to an end and Greed is left with two choices, neither of them what he wants. After this night, everything is changing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***This chapter contains topics that may be sensitive to some readers. Please read at your own discretion!***

It had been a few weeks since Ed's party. Greed hadn't seen Ling since. Russell came to pick up Ling's gift at the last minute, but they texted each other every so often. It was better than nothing, even if the conversation was stiff and slightly awkward. Greed wasn't sure whose fault that was. Probably his own. 

He was currently at work and on his way to the instrument room that he just learned existed. He'd been working in the same building for four years and somehow missed a whole room? He'd been down that hallway before, too. That was the worst part. 

Greed turned the handle and gently shouldered the door open, taking a moment to take in the room in all its glory. A large grand piano in the center, the left wall was lined with acoustic and electric guitars, a few bass guitars, ukuleles, and a banjo. The right corner housed a drum set, next to it, an electric one, and on the wall near the door were a few electric keyboards and a small metal rack containing books of sheet music for each instrument. 

He snagged a book of sheet music on his way to the grand piano, and as he sat on the bench, he opened the book to a random page. A smile grew on his lips as his fingers ran across the ivory, the ever so gentle tone soothing his nerves. He couldn't remember the last time he'd played- the last time his fingers had touched the black and white keys. When was the last time he felt so... so peaceful?

He glanced down at the sheet music and began playing. " _ Sonata No. 14,  _ " _ Moonlight _ " _ in C Sharp Minor. _ " Greed didn't need the sheet music. Not for this song, anyway. He knew it by heart; it was the first song he'd learned to play, after all. He allowed his eyes to close, the tension slowly easing from his shoulders and jaw. If anyone had been in the room with him, they would have seen the soft, genuine smile on his lips, but it was just him in the piano; and that's how he liked it.

He struck the wrong key when his phone buzzed, and just like that, the illusion of peace came crashing down around him. With a weary sigh, his eyes opened again, catching part of the notification before his screen went back once more. A group message.  _ Ugh. _

**Ling- 1:45:** Hey! Dinner tonight with me and Russell? (人*'∀｀)｡*ﾟ+

**Lan-Fan- 1:45:** No.

**Pipsqueak- 1:45:** Where?

**Blondie- 1:45:** I can't tonight, sorry Ling :(

**Cat Whisperer- 1:46:** I can't either. I have class tonight. /:

**Panini Head- 1:46:** I can't tonight :'( Maybe next time!

**Ling- 1:46:** (｡•́︿•̀｡) Aww okay! 

**Ling- 1:46:** I was thinking that new bar that opened on 10th. 

**Pipsqueak- 1:46:** Yeah. Count me in. I've been meaning to check that place out. Greed, you in?

**Ling- 1:47:** Yay!! And please come, Greed!!

**Greed- 1:47:** what time?

**Ling- 1:47:** 6?

**Greed- 1:49:** yeah. i'll go.

He set his phone on the piano again and resumed playing, giving up shortly after because every note sounded wrong. Each strike of the key let out a cacophonous noise- the notes to a song he loved now out of tune and distorted in his head. He stood rather abruptly, grabbed his phone, and left the room without looking back. 

He didn't want to go to dinner with Russell and Ling. Well, he didn't want to go to dinner with  _ Russell.  _ He didn't know why he'd agreed in the first place! He couldn't understand why he was putting himself in a situation like this. Why he was  _ repeatedly  _ putting himself in a situation like this?!  _ Ling.  _ He was doing this for Ling...  _ "As long as he's happy, I'll be okay. Even if it isn't me he's happy with."  _ His own words had never bit him in the ass so hard before. 

He paced the halls for a while to calm down, ignoring his phone as the group message continued without him. He knew that if he picked up his phone right now, he'd find some way to get out of going to that dinner.

Five minutes later, he was sitting at his desk, sighing as he opened his draft folder and selected a file at random. "Smoke Signals." He'd been stuck on this song for weeks, the same annoyance and writer's block flickering to life as he stared at the half-formed lyrics and a mass of blank space on the screen.

_ "You can come home to me _

_ When you're ready _

_ I left the gate unlocked for you _

_ 'Til then I'm sendin' out _

_ Smoke signals _

_ Hopin' I'll see yours too" _

Greed stared at the text cursor as it blinked on the screen. He spent a solid thirty minutes- if not longer- typing and deleting lyrics until he couldn't take it anymore. He hid his head in his hands and let out a frustrated groan as his fingers curled into his hair. 

After a while, he sat up again and smoothed out his hair. He resumed staring at the screen, which accomplished nothing more than making him more frustrated than he already was. He was half-convinced he'd die before this song got finished... Unless he made it shorter... Yep. That was what he was doing. He was taking the easy way out. He still needed an idea, though... He chewed on his lower lip as he wracked his brain, ready to give up and go home when he got an idea. Thank god. 

" _ When the dust has set _

_ Settled up and done our debts _

_ Nothing left to go collect _

_ If you're feelin' spent _

_ When it's heavy on your chest _

_ When you think there's nothing left _

_ You can come home to me. _ "

"This is like forty-five seconds of lyrics!" he grumbled under his breath, an irritated sigh leaving him as he raked his hand through his hair. "I'm gonna lose my shit- I swear to god." He dropped his head to his desk and held in another groan. He knew he was already getting looks from his coworkers, and he wasn't going to add to them if he could help it. 

After collecting himself for the third time in a relatively short period, he copy and pasted the chorus and submitted the document before he blew a gasket. 

  
  


A painstakingly long bus ride later, Greed walked through his front door, dropping his things rather carelessly to the ground as he toed off his shoes. Grumbling under his breath, he went down the hall and reluctantly looked through his drawers for something to wear to dinner. By the time he had convinced himself to get dressed, a horn beeped out front. 

"Shit." He scrambled to get ready, snagging his jacket, keys, and wallet on his way out the door. His phone fell from his hands as he slid his jacket on, a string of rather loud, frustrated swears leaving his lips when he realized the screen had cracked. Shoving everything into his pockets, Greed got into the car with a huff, closing the door much harder than he needed. 

"Let's go get this over with..." 

"You alright?"

"No. I'm not alright! I broke my phone. Work sucked. I don't want to go to this stupid dinner! I don't have enough patience to deal with that- with that  _ asshole!  _ I swear to god I'm gonna-" He cut himself off and let out a frustrated groan. 

"Look- I get it, but we're Ling's friends, and this is what friends do, alright?" Ed stated rather bluntly as he pulled onto the road, "And besides, I'll be there, and if you feel like you're gonna lose your shit, I'll make up an excuse, and we can leave." 

Greed let out a disgruntled sound of agreement and cracked his fingers in a mixture of frustration and anxiety. After he ran out of joints to crack, he pulled his phone from his pocket and examined the screen. A shard of glass was missing where the camera should be, exposing the inside of the phone and the likely damaged electronics. 

"I  _ just  _ got this phone like last month. I can't believe that just fucking happened." 

"What? What happened to your old phone?"

"You happened- that's what!" 

" _ Me?! _ What did  _ I  _ do?!" Ed demanded, snapping his eyes over to Greed, gold eyes narrowed and defensive. 

"You knelt on it with your prosthetic, remember? One of the times you  _ broke into my house. _ "

"Oh... Right."

Before he was ready, the car was rolling to a stop outside the bar. It looked empty, which made sense. It was 6:00 on a Tuesday. Hopefully, acting like he was enjoying himself would be even easier without a crowd of people. 

"Ready?" Ed questioned as he shut the car off. Ed hesitated as he reached for the door; he was clearly looking forward to this as much as Greed was. 

"Give me motivation to not lose my shit."

"Do you want to be stuck in a holding cell with me?"

"No. ...Let's go." 

He ignored the low laugh that left Ed as he exited the car, waiting for the shorter man before walking into the building. The lights were dim, the music was loud, and even though it didn't seem that way from the parking lot, it was crowded.  _ Great.  _

He barely heard his name shouted from across the bar, his worry-lined face smoothing out slightly when he saw Ling's face poking through the crowd. Nudging Ed with his elbow, he crossed the bar and removed his jacket. 

"Hey, Ling. Russell." He gave the second man a short nod and then motioned for Ed to sit. He wasn't going to get stuck in the booth, not if he could help it. 

"Hey, guys! How've things been?" Ling asked, leaning his head on his hands as his eyes flicked between Greed and Ed. 

"Al's going on about getting a cat again," Ed offered, dramatically rolling his eyes. "I don't know how many times I have to tell him I don't want one of those fur bags in my house!" 

"Don't kick any boxes that get left on your front porch, Ed," Greed teased. Maybe he was teasing, maybe he wasn't. 

"Greed, I swear to God-" 

"You don't believe in God, Ed!" Ling exclaimed with a bright smile. That made the tiniest hint of one form on Greed's lips. Ling was having fun; he was happy. Maybe the night wouldn't be so bad. 

"That's beside the point!" Ed huffed, crossing his arms and trying not to laugh when Ling reached across the table and playfully swatted Ed with the menu. 

"I don't blame you for not liking cats, Ed," Russell said as he set his drink down, "it's dogs all the way for me." 

"The only dog I ever liked was Den. Hayate is okay, but he's chewed too many of my shoes for me to forgive him." 

"How could you say that, Ed?! Hayate is the most precious baby!" Ling stated, faking offense. 

"Yeah, because he never bit you or destroyed your shoes!" 

"He did too! Remember in high school? He bit me right on the ankle! I still have a scar!" 

"Oh yeah- I remember that." 

"You weren't even there, Greed!" Ed exclaimed, turning in his seat to glare at him in a way he hoped was playful. 

"Who do you think he complained too, Ed?" Greed responded, jerking his thumb at himself, "This guy."

The conversation died down a few minutes later when the waiter came to take orders. He was only half-listening to the story Ed was telling, something about a prank he and Alphonse had pulled on Roy when they were younger. He was dragged back to reality when the waiter set the drinks on the table, his eyes following the man as he walked away. 

"Hey, Greedy," Russell said from across the table, the nickname made Greed cringe, but he reminded himself he needed to play nice. "What do you think about that little bartender guy, huh?"

"Cute, sure, yeah..." Greed muttered into his drink. He had to force his hand to relax before he broke his glass. He wasn't sure if it was because he was jealous or if Russell was that much of an asshole. There was something about how he spoke that drove Greed up the wall. 

"Why don't you get on that?" Russell continued with a smirk. 

"Not really my type." Greed answered, shrugging his shoulders. He looked down into his drink and held back a sigh.

"Well, what is your type?" 

_ Oh my god. Shut up. Shut up!!!! Stop talking. I don't want to talk to you! Take a hint!  _

"Dads... primarily… Soccer dads, single dads, NASCAR dads. Any type, really." Ed nearly spit his drink out, and from the corner of his eye, Greed saw Ling hide a snicker behind his hand. 

"That's disgusting. Stay away from my da- stay away from  _ Roy. _ " Ed spoke, the level of disgust in his voice convincing enough for anyone else to believe he wasn't joking. 

"Too late, Ed."

"Man, I would be all over that if I wasn't dating Ling."

Greed took a deep breath and pressed his eyes shut, hands balling into fists under the table. He was going to lose his shit. He snapped his eyes open when Ed's knee bumped rather harshly into his own.

"Be back. Gonna go smoke." He muttered as he slipped out of his seat. He needed to get out of there before he lost his cool and punched Russell. He pushed through the crowd of people as nicely as he could manage and let out a frustrated groan once he was outside.  _ Shit. He forgot his jacket. _ Knowing better than to go back inside, Greed pressed his back against the wall and took in a deep breath, the cool night air washing over him and causing him to shiver. He didn't realize how hot it was in the bar. 

His shoulders tensed slightly as the door opened, and though he didn't want to, he cracked an eye open, instantly relaxing when he saw Ling in front of him with his jacket in hand. 

"Hey... Are you alright?" Ling asked as he handed Greed his jacket. 

"Thanks," he mumbled as he took the jacket, sliding it on and taking his cigarettes from his pocket. "Just needed some air," he explained as he lit his smoke, taking a long pull and slowly letting it out through his nose. 

"Me too."

"What've you been up to? Dojo busy?" 

"Yeah, actually," Ling sighed as he leaned against the wall next to Greed, their shoulders brushing together, " _ so many _ parents got their kid's karate lessons for Christmas... It's going to be  _ insane  _ until they start dropping out... Happens every year." 

"I thought you liked kids?" He couldn't count on both his hands the number of hours he listened to Ling talking about having kids, more so at the beginning of his transition. It was one of those things he worried about, even though they were just teenagers back then. 

"Oh, no... I love kids- don't get me wrong... Just not  _ those  _ kids." 

"And what are  _ those  _ kids?" 

"Spoiled, entitled brats." 

"...So like you when you were their age," Greed pointed out, tilting his head slightly and smirking at Ling. 

"...No personal questions." Ling tried not to laugh but wasn't successful, not in the slightest. Greed shook his head and allowed a laugh of his own to leave his lips as most of the tension and annoyance left him. 

"Oh, sorry if that sounded like a question... It was a statement,  _ rich boy _ ." 

Ling let out an offended gasp and swatted at Greed's arm, another laugh leaving him when Greed swatted right back. The laughter died rather quickly when the door opened again, and Russell came outside. 

"What's up?" he asked as he walked over to them. 

Ling crossed his arms and let out a less than amused, "Hi."

"Are you still mad at me?" Russell asked, extending a hand to Ling, who didn't answer. Instead of taking the hint, Russell stepped closer and began tickling Ling. 

"Russell..." Ling sighed, trying his best to squirm away, a laugh distorting the rest of his words, "Come on. Cut it out!"

Greed threw his cigarette into the parking lot, pushed off the wall, and went back inside. Ed looked up from his phone as Greed approached the table, a frown matching the one that was most likely on his own face. 

"Just updating Win about the dinner," he explained as he put his phone away, "she said to tell you, and I quote,  _ "Greed, I swear to God. Ed and I  _ **_will no_ ** _ t bail you out of jail if you cannot control yourself. I'll even go as far as to call  _ **_Maes_ ** _ and tell  _ **_him_ ** _ not to bail you out! I'm  _ **_not_ ** _ fucking around! But be safe and have fun!" _ and then a bunch of emojis." 

Greed let out a short huff of air that was supposed to be a laugh and downed the rest of his drink. He waved the waiter away when he was offered a refill, knowing it wouldn't be a good idea for him to drink anymore tonight. Not with how this was going, anyway.

A few minutes later, Russell and Ling settled at the table, Ling tucking himself as far into his jacket as he could while muttering about how cold it was. It's been less than five seconds, and the silence was already awkward and tense. 

"Jacket looks good." It was the first thing he could think of, so that's what came out of his mouth. "Embroidery too... When did you get that done?"

"Yeah- wears it all the time," Russell interjected before Ling could answer, "guess I got a good gift, huh?"

"Except you didn't," Ling muttered under his breath, eyes trained on the table. 

"What?"

" _ You  _ didn't get it," Ling repeated louder, his eyes filled with annoyance. Greed slid Ling's drink down the table to Ed, motioning for him to do something with it. More alcohol was the last thing this night needed. 

"Yes, I did? I still have the receipt!" Russell continued, his voice growing the slightest bit sharper, his hands curling into fists. Ling shook his head and took a deep breath.

"You might have bought it, but I  _ know  _ Greed picked it out."

"It's just a jacket, guys- I don't think there's a need to fight over it." Ed was basically pleading for the two to cool off, and it seemed that Ling took the hint, but Russell, on the other hand, did not.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Ling." Simultaneously, a sharp breath left Greed and Edward, the same discomfort settling over them. The pair shared a quick look and then turned their attention to what was happening in front of them.

"Yes, I do, Russell!"

"You're ridiculous, Ling."

"I'm always 'ridiculous' when I'm right, aren't I?" Greed didn't like how that question sounded. Not one bit. One question and Greed knew that it was a common one. The words left Ling's mouth with a pained familiarity, what was once probably a stab nothing more than a faint tingle. 

"You're ridiculous because you don't know when to be quiet! I've lost track of how many times I've told you to shut your mouth!"

"C'mon, man. Lay off." Greed couldn't stay quiet anymore. He had a horrible feeling this was going to get even worse at any moment. The longer this went on, the tighter Russell's hands curled into fists, and the look of determination and panic in Ling's eyes deepened. The air was tense, so thick he was almost choking on it, and though the argument thus far had been pretty quiet, it was clear that people were starting to stare. 

"Of course,  _ you  _ would jump to Ling's defense!" Russell snapped as he turned his attention to Greed. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded, crossing his arms in front of his chest and sitting up straighter. 

"Oh, shut up! I saw the card, Greed!" the blond snapped again before turning to Ling, "And I  _ know  _ I told you to stop talking to him! You  _ clearly  _ can't listen, can you?! I thought I was clear enough last time! What's it going to take for you to get it through your head?!" To punctuate the end of his sentence, he hit his fist on the table, an accusatory glare flicking from Ling to Greed, who was on his feet the moment Ling flinched. 

"Alright. That's enough. Ling- let's go," he held his hand out to Ling, keeping his eyes on Russell, not trusting the man to react calmly. "I'm taking you home."

"He's not going anywhere with you!" Russell protested, his words coming out almost a snarl. Greed wanted to hit him, and he finally had an excuse to hit him, but when he saw the pleading look in Ling's eyes, his anger died down considerably. Ling was already hurting, and he couldn't add to that. 

"Go fuck yourself, Russell," he growled, voice evening out as much as it could as he turned to Ling again. "Ling, c'mon... Ed, I'll see you later."

There was a beat of hesitation, one that felt like it went on for hours. Ling didn't move, or look at anyone, or say anything. Was he really going to stay here after that? After everything Russell had just said? There was no way! There had to be something more going on- something that would make Ling hesitate like that.  _ A reason to be scared of freedom. _

Just as Greed was losing hope, Ling nodded and rose from his seat, wrenching his arm free when Russell grabbed it and voicing a, "We’re done," that was just loud enough for the man to catch. Greed glared at Russell and gently put his hand on Ling's back as he led him through the crowd, staying silent as they walked through the parking lot.

Ling was holding out the car keys before Greed could ask for them. He helped Ling into the car, shut his door, and let out a tired, angry breath. He took a moment to calm down before getting into the car, his hands wrapping around the steering wheel even though the car wasn't turned on. He wasn't sure he could actually drive right now. Too much had happened far too fast, and things were starting to make sense in ways Greed didn't like at all. 

"I'm sorry, Greed," Ling whispered as he stared at his hands. 

"What? Why? You didn't do anything wrong."

"I dunno... I feel like I did." Ling shrugged, tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, and then immediately untucked it.

"Why?" Greed could tell Ling was holding back, 'shutting his mouth' as he was told to do, which made Greed sick.

"This dinner was my idea, and I shouldn't have said anything about the jacket, and..." Ling's voice cracked, and he quickly fell silent. He shook his head and brushed the tears away with the back of his hand. "I should have known this was going to happen. I should have known a lot of things... I'm so stupid! I-" 

"Ling, stop." Greed finally let go of the steering wheel and pulled Ling into a hug, his heart sinking at how tightly the back of his jacket was being gripped in Ling's shaking hands. 

"I'm sorry, Greed. I- I'm sorry for ignoring you and- and-"

"Shhh. It's okay." Greed ran a hand through Ling's hair, the other rubbing circles across his back as he cried. Greed was warring with his own emotions as well. Pure, unbridled rage coursed through his system, clashing head-on with the guilt and pain that had settled over his heart. He’d never forgive himself for this. 

"I... I didn't read the card- I didn't get the chance... Russell he- he took it and tore it up after he read it." Even though Ling's words were muffled by Greed's shoulder, the distress in them was evident. 

"I don't care about the card, Ling. All I care about right now is making sure you're okay." 

"I found it on accident," Ling continued, "you- you left your pants on the floor when you went to Maes and Gracia's, and I tripped on them, and the card fell out of your pocket when I picked them up, and I figured you just forgot to give it to me. I wasn't gonna open it without telling you- and then he-" 

"It's okay, Ling. It was just a dumb Christmas card. I'm really not upset about it, okay?"

Ling nodded and pulled away from the hug, furiously wiping at his face, groaning as his phone rang in his pocket. His brows furrowed as he pulled out the phone, quickly declining a phone call from Russell and silencing his ringtone. 

"He’s calling you  _ again? _ ” Greed questioned, brows pinching together as the phone immediately started ringing. 

"Mhm... He's not going to stop until I pick up the phone..." The weary, morose tone in Ling's voice made the matter-of-fact statement carry more weight than it should have. This is something he'd gone through before... 

"I don't think you should pick up the phone." The words practically flew from Greed's mouth when he saw Ling move to answer the call. "He wants the attention, Ling... Don't give it to him." 

"He's just going to keep calling me, Greed. What do you want me to do, block him?!"

"Listen... I'm not gonna tell you what to do," he said quietly, taking no offense at the way Ling had snapped at him, "I  _ can't  _ tell you what to do; I can only offer my opinion. I think you should block him, yes, but whatever you do, I'll respect your choice."

Ling hesitated for so long the call was sent to voicemail, a voicemail was left, and a third call had already started. Greed watched rather anxiously as Ling's fingers began to move, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding when Ling declined the call and then blocked Russell's number. 

Greed opened his mouth to speak but hesitated, unsure if he could get the words out without his voice failing him and even more unsure if he could handle the answer.  _ Breathe, Greed.  _

"...I need to know, Ling... Did he ever hit you? Hurt you in any way?" He couldn't look at Ling. Even the emotions on the man's face he could see from the corner of his eye was too much. He stared at the steering wheel, knowing that his eyes would betray the calm demeanor he was forcing onto himself.

"Not exactly..." Ling answered after a beat of hesitation; his words were uncertain enough to cause Greed even more alarm. 

"What does that mean?"

"He never hit me, but..." Ling shut his mouth and shook his head. 

"But?"

"He made it clear that he  _ could... _ "

_ He was going to kill Russell.  _

"I'm so sorry, Ling." 

"Don't be- it's my fault."

"Hey.  _ No. _ It was never your fault, and it never will be, okay?" Greed said sternly, turning in his seat to take Ling's hands and to stop him from picking at his fingers. "It's  _ his  _ fault. He abused you, Ling. Maybe not physically, but mentally... emotionally... And that will  _ never  _ be your fault. I don't care what anyone says- and if someone  _ does  _ say that to you-"

"I know, I know... Names and addresses." 

"Damn straight." He squeezed Ling's hands, straightened in his seat, and then started the car. 

"Um... What did the card say?" Ling asked after they'd been driving for a few minutes. 

Greed didn't answer immediately. He wasn't sure how to answer that. He could tell the truth- he  _ wanted  _ to tell the truth- but lying seemed like the right thing to do... Especially now, after everything Ling had been through. His jaw clenched as he thought, trying to sort through his own emotions and take Ling's into consideration- far above his own. There was no way for him to know how Ling would react to the truth besides telling it. This might be his chance... Even his last one...  _ No. You're going to lie, Greed. You're going to lie your ass off!  _ Ling was drunk, upset, and most likely emotionally and physically exhausted. Now wasn't the time. If he didn't get another chance, he'd deal with that later. Right now, he needed to tell a lie- the only lie he'd never feel guilty about. 

"Greed?"

"Huh?"

"What did the card say?"

"Oh- right. Sorry... It was just a Christmas card- didn't pay too much attention to what it said inside, just saw the penguins on it, thought of you, and bought it. Probably got one of those sappy love cards without realizing it."

"Oh... That makes sense- especially with how angry Russell got." 

Greed nodded and fell silent, staying that way until he parked the car in front of Ling's apartment and got out to open Ling's door for him. 

"Lan-Fan's home?"

"Yeah... she should be," Ling answered as he looked up at the building. 

"Alright, c'mon, I'll walk you inside." 

He followed Ling's lead through the Fu's dark and empty dojo, into the equally dark backroom, and up a small flight of stairs, stopping at the door as Ling searched for his keys. 

"You can stay if you want..."

"No, that's alright... I'll go... give you some time to think and all that," Greed responded with a shrug. If Ling pushed the issue, he'd stay, but he figured the man would want space to sort through his feelings. 

"Oh... okay... um... do you want me to drive you home?"

"No, I'll get a cab. Think it's supposed to rain soon, and I know you don't like driving in the rain." 

"Okay..." Ling said quietly, turning away from him to walk into the apartment. Now that there was light in the hall, Greed could see how distressed Ling looked. Every instinct was telling him to stay, but his head told him to go home, and right now, that's what he was listening to. 

"Goodnight, Ling."

"Goodnight, Greed." 

  
  


A sigh left him as he locked his door behind him; the rain had just started coming down- a depressing end to an already depressing night. He hung up his jacket and pulled off his shoes before going into the living room and dropping on the couch, content to stare at the ceiling until he passed out. He didn't have the energy to mindlessly scroll through his phone either, this day had been more trying than the last few months, and the pain he'd tried to keep stuffed inside was fighting to get out. It was winning. If this dinner hadn't happened, he would have been fine but seeing Ling like that... He couldn't pretend the pain that made him feel didn't exist. Especially when he knew it was nothing compared to what Ling had to be feeling right now. 

A rather loud clap of thunder rattled the windows, the howling wind shaking the tree outside the window, the branches tapping into the glass. It made Greed worry about Ling even more. At least he was with Lan Fan; she'd be able to help him through this. 

Thirty minutes later, there was a sound at the door, which Greed dismissed as the storm blowing his flowerpot over, but when it happened again, he realized someone was knocking. He grumbled to himself as he swung the door open, brows instantly pinching together when he saw Maes in his uniform. 

"Pops...? Alright... What did I do this time?" He couldn't count the number of times Maes had to bring him to the station to clear up things that were  _ clearly _ blamed on him. Only this time, the older man didn't show any of his usual humor. 

"Nothing, actually." 

"Then why are you here?"

Maes stepped aside to reveal his squad car. At first, Greed was even more confused until he saw Ling in the backseat. 

"Wh- What the hell?! What happened?" he demanded, fighting the urge to disregard whatever his father had to say and run to the car. 

"Edward called me." 

"Ed called you? Pops, c'mon, you gotta give me a little more than that! Why is Ling in the back of your car?!" 

"He told me about what happened at the bar," Maes continued, removing his hat and tucking it under his arm, "he followed Russell after you took Ling home... He broke into the dojo and then into Ling and Lan-Fan's apartment. He broke Ed's nose when he jumped in front of Ling-"

"I'm gonna kill him." 

"Hey- I'm on duty! You can't say that to me!" 

"I don't care!" he growled, "Lock me up right now for all I care. He tried to hit Ling!" 

"Hey. You need to calm down," Maes demanded, "I'm not about to lock my son up- not when the only thing Ling can get out of his mouth is your name!" 

"What...?" All of his anger was gone in an instant, and when Maes nodded, he pushed past his father and rushed to the squad car, not caring about the rain or his bare feet on the broken, sharp-edged walkway tiles. He pulled the door open and crouched on the ground, immediately pulling Ling into his arms. 

"Greed?"

"I've got you, Ling. You're okay- you're safe. I'm so sorry... I should have stayed." 

Ling's only response was a small whimper as his fingers curled around the back of Greed's shirt. 

"I'm gonna bring you inside, okay?"

Ling nodded and scooched forward, letting out a surprised and slightly panicked sound when Greed picked him up, carrying him into the house as quickly as he could to limit Ling's time in the rain. He set Ling on the couch and wrapped a blanket around his shoulders. 

"I'm gonna go talk to Pops, alright? I'll be right back, I promise." 

Ling nodded again and retreated into the blanket, breaking Greed's heart for the third time that night. 

"He's in custody, Ed, Lan-Fan, and Ling are going to file restraining orders... I suggest you do the same thing, Greed."

"Maybe." 

" _ Greed. _ "

"Fine, fine!" He tossed his hands in the air to express his annoyance and then stuffed them into his pockets. 

"Be safe tonight, Greed." 

"I will, Pops." Greed closed the door as Maes walked away and then walked into the living room again, settling on the couch next to Ling, slowly reaching forward to wipe the tears from his face. Ling slumped sideways, turning slightly so he could hide his face in Greed's chest. 

"He was going to hurt me," Ling whispered, fingers desperately gripping at the back of Greed's shirt, "he told me what he was gonna do. That he was gonna hurt Lan-Fan too, and he broke Ed's nose and-"

"It's okay, Ling. You're safe now. He's not going to hurt you... I won't let him. I promise you, you're safe. Everyone else is safe too. Pops is taking care of it. You have nothing to worry about." 

Ling nodded and pulled himself onto Greed's lap, arms and legs wrapped tightly around him. Greed rested his chin on Ling's shoulder, one hand pressed to his back and the other running through his hair. He was willing to sit like this for as long as Ling needed, and even after that if he had the chance. The silence that had settled over the house going from tense to almost comfortable as time went on. 

"Greed?"

"Mhm?"

"Do... do you promise I'm safe?"

"I promise, Ling." 

Ling nodded, the rest of the tension leaving his shoulders, his body slumping into Greed's. He continued to run his fingers through Ling's hair, even after his trembling and sniffling had subsided. Ling had been silent for a while now, and just when Greed was beginning to think he'd fallen asleep, he started speaking. 

"D-Do you hate me?"

"Do I hate you?" Greed repeated slowly, the words leaving a disgusting taste in his mouth, "Why would I hate you, Ling?"  _ I love you.  _

"Because I sh-shut you out and ignored you with n-no explanation." 

"I don't hate you. I'm not even mad at you."

"I didn't want to shut you out," Ling whispered, "but Russell didn't like that I was talking to you, and he would get  _ so _ mad, and then after the Christmas card, it got even worse, and I was scared so I just... listened to him."

"I know, Ling... It's okay." 

This was all his fault! If he never wrote that  _ stupid  _ card, everything would have been okay! What was he even thinking?! What did he  _ think  _ was going to happen?! Okay, he wasn't expecting Russell to read the card, but the chance that Ling would tell him about it was pretty high. Would the same thing have happened regardless? It certainly wouldn't have happened if he never wrote that card! God, he was a moron!!

"I just don't get why he didn't like that I was talking to you," Ling continued, pulling Greed's attention away from his quickly spiraling thoughts, "he was okay with me and Ed being friends, and we used to date!" 

"That was six years ago, Ling... and Ed's engaged to Winry now." Ed wasn’t a threat. Greed was. 

"Yeah... that's a good point- it doesn't matter anymore. I just- I wanted to apologize and explain it to you... I felt bad, and I- I don't want you to hate me."

"I could never hate you, Ling. You're my best friend." 

Ling nodded and loosened his grip around Greed, a sigh leaving his lips as he turned his head to look up at the man, something serious in his expression.

"Thank you." 

"Why are you thanking me, Ling?" 

"Because I have a lot to be thanking you for... You didn't give up on me, and you don't hate me, and you're always there for me and-"

"Alright, alright, I get it!" Greed huffed, feeling thoroughly uncomfortable receiving thanks he didn't deserve. 

"Are you sure?" Ling questioned, "Because I have a lot more!" 

Ling cleared his throat rather dramatically, but before he could start speaking, Greed started tickling him. The other man let out a surprised yelp, cut off by shoulder-shaking laughter.

"Ahhh!! Stop- stop! I surrender! I'll never thank you again!" Ling exclaimed between his laughter, trying his best to wiggle free from Greed. 

"Yeah- that's what I thought, pissant," Greed hummed as he stopped tickling Ling. Hearing him laugh soothed the rest of Greed's worries. If Ling could manage to laugh after all that, he'd be okay. It might take some time, but he'd be there every step of the way. 

When Ling pulled back from the hug, the pain in his eyes slowly gave way to pure mischief, a sharp, cat-link smirk on his lips. Before Greed could get any words out, Ling was tickling him- or trying to, anyway. 

"What the hell?! Why can't I tickle you?!" Ling whined, still trying his hardest to find some ticklish spot on the other man. 

"I'm not ticklish." 

" _ What?! _ " Ling stopped and looked up at Greed, eyes wide in surprise and brows knitted together in confusion. "How are you not ticklish?!  _ Everyone's  _ ticklish!" 

"Not me." 

"This is bullshit, and I hate you!" Ling whined again, playfully pushing his hands to Greed's chest. 

"That's fine," Greed hummed, "you can hate me all you want, but you have to get off my lap." 

"I changed my mind! I don't hate you!" Ling said rather quickly, once again latching onto Greed. A quiet laugh left Greed's lips as he shook his head.

"Well, I'm glad you don't hate me anymore... That was the worst ten seconds of my life." Ling should hate him, though. If only he knew the mess Greed had caused. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you or someone you know is struggling with domestic abuse I've provided a few links for resources and help. 
> 
> You are not alone in your struggles and there are people ready to believe and help you. 
> 
> https://www.thehotline.org/
> 
> https://www.joinonelove.org/learn/help_a_friend/

**Author's Note:**

> I would also like to say a special thank you to my friends for supporting me and letting me bounce ideas and drafts off of them. You mean the world to me and I love you very much.


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